The cost of bringing innovative new cardiovascular technology to the U.S. market today is staggering, numbering in the tens of millions up to $1 billion. Many in the medical device and drug industries see this as a major barrier to developing new therapies. The majority of this cost is in the preclinical animal testing stage and the human clinical trials required to gain regulatory clearance. New technologies may very soon offer a way to greatly decrease these costs. In addition, these technologies may be able to identify which drugs or device therapies will be effective in humans before spending millions in potentially dead-end research.


A study in the May issue of the International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging examines the ability of the EchoInsight software to achieve quantitative assessment of the right ventricle (RV). The study, “Semi-automated Echocardiographic Quantification of Right Ventricular Size and Function," was published by Diego Medvedofsky, Karima Addetia, Roberto Lang, Victor Mor-Avi, et al.

Holographic Optical Technologies has made its Voxgram hologram technology available to the consumer market through its just-launched Kickstarter campaign.

Significantly fewer renal and cardiac events are associated with angioplasty procedures using isosmolar contrast medium (IOCM) agent Visipaque (iodixanol) than those using low-osmolar contrast media (LOCM), according to new data presented at EuroPCR 2015.

Boston Scientific reported positive, long-term data from the EVOLVE Trial of the Synergy everolimus-eluting bioabsorbable polymer platinum chromium coronary stent system, with no new major adverse cardiac events reported between years three and four. The study results were presented at EuroPCR 2015 by Prof. Ian Meredith, director of MonashHeart, at Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne, Australia.

New clinical data from two different studies show the IN.PACT Admiral drug-coated balloon from Medtronic plc successfully treated long lesions in the superficial femoral and popliteal arteries. The data was presented at EuroPCR 2015 during the “Hot line” session on “Peripheral interventions.”

St. Jude Medical Inc. announced new results from two clinical studies further supporting the use of its fractional flow reserve (FFR) technology to optimize percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures. The studies — a 15-year follow-up to the DEFER study and primary results from the CONTRAST study — were presented during hotline sessions at EuroPCR 2015. Combined, the studies contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting FFR as a valuable and important decision-making tool for physicians.

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