April 28, 2010 — The U.S. District Court in Minnesota this week declined to accept the plea agreement between Guidant and the U.S. Justice Department related to its failure to report adverse events from its implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) in 2005. Boston Scientific acquired Guidant after the incident.

May 4, 2010 — Including a coronary artery calcium score in a risk assessment for future heart disease events — such as heart attacks — provides a better estimate in some populations than a standard coronary risk factors assessment, according to research supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

May 4, 2010 — New research released this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows the value of implantable cardiac device diagnostics in identifying worsening heart failure.

May 4, 2010 – The U.S. District Court in New Hampshire is being asked this week to review and reverse a jury verdict on patent litigation involving two companies with competing hemostasis management technology used in the cath lab.

May 4, 2010 - Currently, using conventional imaging modalities to distinguish between acute and chronic aortic dissection (AD) for surgical risk evaluation is not possible. However, in a recent study, researchers were able to use fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) to detect reparatory hypermetabolism in the lacerated aortic wall of acute AD.

May 4, 2010 – A deal has been struck to produce a generic version of Merck & Company’s Zetia (ezetimibe). In the United States, the cholesterol modifying agent has annual U.S. sales of about $1.4 billion, according to IMS Health data.

May 3, 2010 – Two new ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG) devices are being introduced this week to help speed diagnostics and workflow. Midmark Corp. and Mortara partnered to create the systems.

May 3, 2010 – Excellent safety and clinical outcomes were shown in patients ages 70 and older who received a stent using endothelial progenitor cell capture technology. The stent accelerates the natural healing process of the vessel wall after stent implantation.

May 3, 2010 – A point-of-care ultrasound system for use by emergency medical services (EMS) is being developed in collaboration between SonoSite Inc. and Physio-Control Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, the Physio-Control sales organization will assist in introducing SonoSite’s products to the EMS market.


Several paclitaxel drug-eluting balloons (DEBs) are currently available on the European market, and several others are in development. There are currently no DEBs available in the United States.
Subscribe to
© Copyright Wainscot Media. All Rights Reserved.
Subscribe Now