Abbott announced that the first patient has been enrolled in a clinical study to evaluate a minimally invasive clip-based repair system for treating people with moderate or severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR). The first patient was enrolled at Abbott Northwestern Hospital by Paul Sorajja, M.D., cardiologist at Minneapolis Heart Institute and Abbott Northwestern Hospital.

August 9, 2017 — Ra Medical Systems announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted the company a broad patent (No. 9700655) that covers its DABRA catheter for cardiovascular disease treatment. The patent was granted on July 11, 2017, and assigned to Ra Medical Systems. The inventors include Ra Medical Systems Director of Research and Development, James Laudenslager, Ph.D., and CEO/CTO Dean Irwin. DABRA (Destruction of Arteriosclerotic Blockages by laser Radiation Ablation) recently received U.S.