A new contestant in the $115-million global heart valve repair market, the ATS Simulus annuloplasty line of products by ATS Medical was cleared for release by the FDA at the end of January. Designed with input from cardiac surgeons, the devices emphasize ease of implantation.
Available in a flexible ring (the ATS Simulus FLX-O Ring) or a flexible band (the ATS Simulus FLX-C Band), the products accommodate various approaches to valve repair. They can be used in both the mitral and tricuspid position.

A new percutaneous transluminal angioplasty balloon catheter, the Advance ATB PTA Dilatation Catheter by Cook is designed for optimal ease of insertion and pullback into the sheath.
Responding to the needs of physicians performing numerous dilatation procedures, the Advance balloon incorporates an increased lumen size for faster inflation/deflation rates while still providing sufficient rated burst pressure to dilate demanding lesions.

Better cardiac diagnosis and fewer hospitalizations are the promise with newly FDA-cleared CardiArc, a SPECT imaging device that will give physicians sharper images of blood flow and function of their patients hearts — in half the time previously required.
Offered by CardiArc Ltd., the patented, smaller and faster technology for cardiac single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) has twice the resolution of existing devices. The system is as small as an executive chair, runs on 110 Volts AC and fits easily in a 6 by 7 foot exam room without remodeling.