February 1, 2010 – Three patent disputes between Boston Scientific Corp. and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) were settled today with Boston paying $1.7 billion.

The disputes date back to 2003 and cover Boston Scientific’s Jang patent and J&J’s Palmaz and Gray patents, all of which involve intellectual property in the cardiovascular arena.

Jan. 25, 2010 —  The first commercial implants of the ATS 3f Enable Aortic Bioprosthesis were recently performed at the University of Berne Hospital, Berne, Switzerland by Lars Englberger, M.D., Mario Stalder, M.D., and professor Thierry Carrel. The procedures were completed using a sutureless technique and the patients are recovering with no complications.

January 28, 2010 – Minimally invasively emergency repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) using stent grafts could save more lives in some cases than traditional open surgery, new data suggests. The latest research on AAA was presented at the 22nd annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET).

January 27, 2010 – New 6, 7 and 8 mm diameters of the Maris Plus self-expanding peripheral stent system, were launched today in Europe for interventions involving the superficial femoral arteries (SFA).

The 9, 10 and 12mm diameters of the stent are already marketed for the iliac artery.