This is a brief overview of updates on implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD), including new technology introductions, advancements to mitigate patient risks and ICD controversies. 


People who skip breakfast and eat dinner near bedtime have worse outcomes after a heart attack, according to research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology,1 a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The study found that people with both eating habits had a four to five times higher likelihood of death, another heart attack or angina (chest pain) within 30 days after hospital discharge for heart attack.

Investigators unveiled late-breaking clinical data from a first-of-its-kind physician sponsored clinical trial at the 2019 EuroPCR Annual Meeting, May 20-23 in Paris, France. The data indicate that renal denervation (RDN) with the Medtronic Symplicity renal denervation system was associated with reduced occurrence of subclinical atrial fibrillation (AF) in a small subset of high-risk patients with hypertensive heart disease over a median follow-up period of more than two years.

ControlRad Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted 510(k) clearance for its ControlRad Trace and the company has initiated its commercial launch. The ControlRad Trace is the only technology, according to the company, that can be integrated into existing mobile C-arms to reduce radiation in any fluoroscopic imaging procedure.


Researchers at the National, Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), developed a novel technique that prevents the obstruction of blood flow in the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) during transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR). LVOT obstruction  is a common fatal complication of TMVR, due to the close proximity off the aortic and mitral valves and the potential overhang of transcatheter valve blocking flow through the LVOT. 


Abiomed announced that the Impella CP with SmartAssist will be commercially available beginning at the 2019 Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) Scientific Sessions, May 19-22 in Las Vegas, through a controlled launch process at select sites. The majority of Impella CP heart pumps in the U.S. will be transitioned to SmartAssist over the next fiscal year.

Edwards Lifesciences Corp. announced strategic clinical and regulatory milestones for its Edwards Pascal transcatheter valve repair system at the EuroPCR annual course, May 20-23 in Paris, France. New 6-month data from the CLASP study of the Pascal system were presented by Konstantinos Spargias, M.D., from the Hygeia Hospital in Athens, Greece. In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved CLASP IIF, a prospective, multicenter, randomized, controlled pivotal trial studying the PASCAL system.

Medtronic plc announced its entrance into the guide extension catheter market with the global launch of the Telescope Guide Extension Catheter. The newly designed catheter is used to provide additional backup support and access to distal lesions. Guide extension catheters help deliver coronary stents, balloons and other interventional devices during angioplasty procedures that help to restore blood flow through the coronary and peripheral arteries.

Subscribe Now