Medinol announced in December positive twelve-month clinical results from the BIONICS study. The study was conducted to evaluate EluNIR, Medinol's novel coronary stent system and the first ever elastomer-coated drug eluting stent (eDES), according to the company.

Ischemic heart failure from previous heart attacks and coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in the world, affecting more than 12 percent of the world’s population, according to the World Health Organization. Stem cell therapy has been conducted to try to repair heart damage from ischemic heart failure, but in previous studies, the two types of stem cells (autologous bone marrow derived mesenchymal  cells [MSCs] and endomyocardial biopsy derived c-kit+ Cardiac Stem Cells [CSCs]) have been used in separate trials. In a first-in-the-world study, the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) is about to begin the CONCERT study, led by Principal Investigator Jay Traverse, M.D. The study will use MSCs and CSCs together to learn if the combination would be more successful than using either alone based on pre-clinical studies in swine demonstrating an enhanced synergistic effect of the combination.

January 10, 2017 — Teleflex Inc. announced that its Arrow VPS Rhythm Device with optional TipTracker technology has been issued U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance to commercialize the device in the United States.


Effective July 1, 2017 for Medicare heart attack patients, the the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will move away from its traditional fee-for-service reimbursement to bundled payment models in attempts to reduce healthcare costs. This includes patients with myocardial infarction who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with or without stenting, and coronary bypass graft surgery (CABG). 
  


BioCardia Inc. announced in December the issuance of United States Patent No. 9,517,199 relating to a method of delivering cells to patients who have chronic myocardial infarcts. This new patent follows United States Patent No. 9,504,642, issued to BioCardia two weeks prior.

Whale Imaging Inc. announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance of the G-Arm Duo. The Duo is the next generation of the G-Arm, with major improvements including axial tilt and greater table access.

Lumedx Corp. announced at the end of November that two Marshall Medical Centers hospitals have gone live with the first phase of a cardiovascular information system (CVIS) deployment. The two hospitals now using Lumedx CVIS software are Marshall Medical North in Guntersville, Ala.; and Marshall Medical South in Boaz, Ala.

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