May 21, 2007 — Findings presented last week during the annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society in Denver indicate a common stress test, using GE Healthcare’s latest algorithm for the measurement of T-wave Alternans (TWA), can be useful in predicting sudden cardiac death, even in those without a previous heart attack or symptoms of heart failure.

May 21, 2007 — Sanofi-aventis has announced that the FDA has approved a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for the anticoagulant Lovenox (enoxaparin sodium injection) for the treatment of patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Lovenox has been shown to reduce the rate of the combined endpoint of recurrent myocardial infarction or death in patients with acute STEMI receiving thrombolysis and being managed medically or with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI).

May 18, 2007 — Hansen Medical Inc. said Thursday it obtained approval in the European Union for its Sensei robotic catheter system and Artisan catheter, which allows the company to begin marketing the system in the EU.

Mountain View, CA,-based Hansen is a developer of robotic technology for control of catheter movement during cardiac procedures.

May 18, 2007 — Medicure, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of novel compounds to treat cardiovascular disorders, is developing MC-1 for the treatment of acute ischemia and ischemic reperfusion injury, and has received a Fast Track Designation from the FDA for the drug.

Currently, MC-1 has completed two positive Phase 2 studies, one in angioplasty patients and most recently a 901-patient coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) study, called MEND-CABG.

May 18, 2007 — Picture paramedics mobilizing a team of cardiologists and nurses within minutes of arriving at the home of a person who is having a heart attack, simply by pressing a button that sends an electrocardiogram (ECG) over a wireless network. That’s exactly what’s being done at a Newark, NJ, medical center, and it’s dramatically improving the quality of care, according to a study honored as the best abstract presented at the 30th Annual Scientific Sessions of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), May 9–12, 2007.