August 10, 2010
DES
'n' DAPT: The OPTIMIZE Trial and Drug-Eluting Stents
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Do patients understand that
they must take dual antiplatelet drugs for a year or more after drug-eluting
stent implantation? Is it possible that a year may not be necessary? The
OPTIMIZE and SEASIDE Trials may provide some answers. The DAPT Trial, not
so much. (Read
more...)
August 9, 2010
The
Un-Stent Wars: Call Out the Fractional Flow Reserves
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: St. Jude
Medical (NYSE: STJ) is suing Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq:
VOLC) over
five patents used in St. Jude's Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR)
PressureWire. What is FFR and why is it the subject of this
lawsuit? (Read
more...)
July 30, 2010
Volcano
Reports Record Quarterly Revenues and Profitability
The company reports on its 2nd Quarter, ending June 30, showing that year-to-date
revenues increased 36%. The company also announced an advanced Forward-Looking
Imaging Technology acquisition. (Read
more...)
July 21, 2010
Transradial
Aims At The SCAI
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: On Friday, November 5, 2010, at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, SCAI will present
what I believe is the first professional society-organized stand-alone course
in the transradial approach to angioplasty and stent placement held in the
U.S. (Read
more...)
July 20, 2010
Volcano
Corporation Schedules Second Quarter Conference Call,
Webcast
Text Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), today announced that it will
report its operating results for the second quarter and first six months of
fiscal 2010 on Friday, July 30. The company will hold a conference call to
discuss its financial results and operating activities open to all interested
parties at 5:30 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time (8:30 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time),
Friday, July 30, hosted by Scott Huennekens, president and chief executive
officer, and John Dahldorf, chief financial officer. (Read
more...)
July 17, 2010
SCAI Radial
Summit to Feature Angioplasty from the Wrist for Interventional
Cardiologists
Angioplasty and stent placement, performed from the wrist, is the topic of
the just announced "SCAI Radial Summit", being presented by the The Society
for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) in Boston, Massachusetts
on November 5, 2010. This course is the first standalone course on the transradial
approach to coronary interventions to be organized by a national professional
society in the U.S. (Read
more...)
May 27, 2010
Stent
Helpers: IVUS, OCT and FFR -- Intravascular Tools At
EuroPCR
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Three intravascular imaging/therapeutic modalities have been making news this
month, both in the U.S. and in Paris at the EuroPCR meeting ending tomorrow.
They are Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS)
and Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR). (Read
more...)
May 26, 2010
Volcano
Introduces VIBE™ RX - the World’s Only Vascular Imaging
Balloon Catheter
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) announced today that it has received CE
Mark approval for the VIBE™ RX Vascular Imaging Balloon Catheter. The company
also announced that it has completed its first clinical cases with the VIBE™ RX
in New Zealand.
A single VIBE™ RX Catheter can quickly access, prepare, and assess challenging
lesions. IVUS guidance provides precise, targeted balloon dilatation with immediate
confirmation of interventional results. (Read more...)
May 25, 2010
Transradial
Angioplasty Training at Duke University School of Medicine
Dr. Sunil V. Rao, one of the key researchers of access site bleeding complications
resulting from angioplasty and stent placement, has been a vocal proponent
of the transradial (wrist) approach to angioplasty, which minimizes or eliminates
these complications. Now Dr. Rao and his colleague, Dr. Mitchell W. Krucoff,
have designed a two-day CME training course in the transradial approach for
clinical and interventional cardiologists, as well as physicians and technicians
involved in the care of patients. (Read
more...)
May 25, 2010
Multiple
European Clinical Registries Show Important Benefits
of Medtronic CoreValve® Transcatheter Aortic Valve
System
New European data from five national clinical registries presented today at
EuroPCR report positive clinical outcomes for one of the most exciting emerging
therapies in cardiology – transcatheter aortic valve implantation for treatment
of severe aortic stenosis.
The registries’ results demonstrate encouraging clinical outcomes for more than
2,000 patients treated with the CoreValve percutaneous aortic valve system from
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT). (Read
more...)
May 24, 2010
Volcano
Announces Plans to Introduce Multiple New Products
at EuroPCR 2010
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) announced today the company's plans to highlight
its new product launches, presence in live cases, and participation in late
breaking trials during EuroPCR from May 25 - 28 in Paris. (Read
more...)
May 20, 2010
Physicians
Cite Positive First Clinical Experience with Volcano's
Eagle Eye® Platinum Digital IVUS Catheter
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) announced today the completion of the first
clinical cases using the new Eagle Eye® Platinum digital IVUS catheter. The
procedures were performed in seven centers within the United States. Commercial
launch of Eagle Eye® Platinum in the U.S. is expected in June 2010. (Read
more...)
May 20, 2010
Volcano
Announces Positive Clinical Experience With Its Second
Generation OCT Catheter, Prepares for U.S. Regulatory
Study
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) announced today the successful completion
of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) cases with Volcano's second generation
OCT catheter and system. Pending IDE approval, Volcano plans to use this OCT
system in the US and South America as part of VOILA, a U.S. regulatory trial
during 2010. Commercial release of Volcano's OCT system is expected in Europe
in early 2011 and in the U.S. in mid-2011. (Read
more...)
May 19, 2010
Volcano
Announces 510(k) Clearance, CE Mark Approval, and First
Clinical Use for the PrimeWire PRESTIGE™ Pressure
Guide Wire
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) announced today it received both 510(k)
clearance and CE Mark approval for its PrimeWire PRESTIGE™ Pressure Guide
Wire for use with patients who have both single-vessel and multi-vessel disease.
This next generation pressure wire is compatible with Volcano's full suite
of integrated multi-modality consoles and stand-alone physiology systems as
well as various hemodynamic monitoring systems. (Read
more...)
May 6, 2010
Mount
Sinai Hospital Earns Highest Ratings in New York State
Report on Coronary Angioplasty
For patients with heart disease, it is crucial to have a doctor and hospital
with a strong record of success in performing complex procedures. Among 53
hospitals across the state, Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan – along with
two of its doctors – has been singled out by the New York State Department
of Health as having the most successful record in performing angioplasty, one
of the most common interventions to clear blocked coronary arteries. (Read more...)
May 5, 2010
Volcano
Corporation Presentation at Bank of America Merrill
Lynch Health Care Conference to Be Webcast
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) said today that
it will be participating in the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Health Care Conference
on Tuesday, May 11.
The presentation by Scott Huennekens, president and chief executive officer,
will begin at 9:20 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time (6:20 a.m., Pacific Daylight
Time). (Read
more...)
May 4, 2010
Where
Can I Get a Stent or Angioplasty Done Through the Wrist?
In the United States, the wrist approach is utilized in less than 5% of cases.
The reason is public education and professional training: patients don't know
about it; many cardiologists haven't learned how to do it. But patients, who
are about to have an angiogram or angioplasty or stent placement, should look
over the Radial Hospital Locator on Angioplasty.Org -- a listing of scores
of hospitals and practitioners who offer the radial approach. (Read
more...)
May 3, 2010
Volcano
Reports 36% Increase in First Quarter Revenues
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), a leading developer and manufacturer of
precision intravascular therapy guidance tools designed to enhance the diagnosis
and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease, said today that
revenues for the first quarter of 2010 increased 36 percent over the first
quarter of 2009. (Read
more...)
May 2, 2010
Stents
and Angioplasty from the Wrist: Texas Style
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Two years
ago interventional cardiologist Dr. Sanjaykumar Patel
joined the Sadler Clinic in The Woodlands, a suburb of
Houston. When Dr. Patel arrived in Houston, radial procedures
were not well-known. Now he has now done over 1,000 procedures
from the wrist and, as he told Angioplasty.Org, "I
differentiated myself in the community because my doing
transradial was a huge advantage for me in attracting
the patient referrals -- because all my patients, they
loved it!" (Read
more...)
May 2, 2010
Interview
with Dr. Sanjay Patel: Transradial Approach to Catheterization
and Angioplasty
In this exclusive interview, Dr. Sanjay Patel discusses how using the transradial
approach has made a major difference in his Houston-based practice. Two years
ago no one in his hospitals was doing radial procedures; today Dr. Patel runs
monthly training courses on the transradial technique and patients seek him
out. (Read
more...)
April 27, 2010
See One,
Score One for Stents
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Two technologies
working together -- IVUS lets you see what the lesion looks
like, and the AngioSculpt balloon lets you do something to
improve the outcome of the stenting. (Read
more...)
April 27, 2010
Volcano
Announces Distribution Agreement With AngioScore for
the AngioSculpt® PTCA Scoring Balloon Catheter in Japan
Scott Huennekens, President and CEO of Volcano stated, "This relationship between
Volcano and AngioScore now combines two technologies: Visualization with Volcano's
intravascular imaging products to build a lesion
specific strategy; and tailored therapy with the AngioSculpt Scoring Balloon
Catheter to deliver a targeted treatment for that specific type of lesion.
This concept of precision-guided therapy using intravascular imaging has already
taken hold in Japan where the technique is used in more than 70% of all PCI
procedures. Our distribution of the AngioSculpt device now gives us access
to both parts of the equation - imaging and therapy." (Read
more...)
April 26, 2010
Volcano
Corporation Schedules First Quarter Conference Call,
Webcast
The company will hold a conference call to discuss its financial results and
operating activities open to all interested parties at 2 p.m., Pacific Daylight
Time, (5 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time), Monday, May 3, hosted by Scott Huennekens,
president and chief executive officer, and John Dahldorf, chief financial officer. (Read
more...)
April 17, 2010
Heart
Attack and Angioplasty: A Public Education Challenge
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: What's most important
to me about the study in JAMA this week is that while the
fully-insured patients were more likely to seek out timely
treatment, almost
40%
of them
delayed going to the hospital for more than six hours -- leaving them with
a legacy of damaged heart muscle and future heart failure -- needlessly! (Read
more...)
April 17, 2010
Uninsured
or Underinsured Patients Delay Getting Angioplasty
and Other Life-Saving Treatment for Heart Attacks
"Lack of health insurance and financial concerns about accessing care among
those with health insurance were each associated with delays in seeking emergency
care for AMI." That's the conclusion of a study, published in Wednesday's Journal
of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and the implications of this study
for hospitals, insurance providers, government and interventional cardiologists
are profound, because angioplasty and stents are considered the first line
treatment for a serious heart attack, yet many patients are not benefiting
from this treatment. (Includes video.) (Read
more...)
April 11, 2010
"I'm
a Dead Man"
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: My interpretation
of the two EVAR studies published today in the New England
Journal of Medicine are very much informed by an experience
I had while interviewing subjects for my 2002 documentary,
"Vascular Pioneers". (Read
more...)
April 11, 2010
Stent
Grafts for Minimally Invasive Aortic Aneurysm Repair:
Two Studies Published in New England Journal of Medicine
Two important trials that studied the long-term outcomes of the endovascular
repair of aortic aneurysms using stent grafts were published online first today
by The New England Journal of Medicine.
The studies were conducted by the investigators of the United Kingdom Endovascular
Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) trial and they give us one of the first glimpses of
the long-term safety and efficacy of a minimally invasive procedure first performed
two decades ago by Argentinean surgeon Juan Parodi, MD. (Read
more...)
April 10, 2010
Angiogram
Not Angioplasty For Holbrooke
On Wednesday BusinessWeek, among a number of other news outlets, reported that
Holbrooke would have to forego an important trip to Afghanistan in order to
undergo a procedure to open his "clogged heart valves". They called it an angioplasty.
In fact, the procedure was an angiogram. And he's OK! (Read
more...)
April 10, 2010
Catheter-Based
Mitral Valve Repair Compares with Open Heart Surgery
at One Year
One of the more striking recent developments in the surgery vs. angioplasty
story was presented at last month's American College of Cardiology 59th Annual
Scientific Sessions in Atlanta: The EVEREST II trial one year results showed
that a non-surgical approach to repairing a leaky mitral valve was successful
and compared well with open heart surgery, which is currently the gold standard
of treatment for mitral regurgitation (MR). Using the MitraClip device delivered
by catheter, snaked through the femoral (groin) artery like coronary angioplasty
balloons
and stents, cardiologists were able to repair mitral valves successfully --
without surgery. (Read
more...)
April 9, 2010
First
Patients Enrolled In Cordis Trial of New Stent Graft
System To Treat Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Cordis Corporation, a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of
interventional vascular technologies, announced today that the first patients
have been enrolled in the INNOVATION trial, which will assess the safety of
a new stent graft system, called INCRAFT™, to treat abdominal aortic aneurysm
(AAA). (Read more...)
April 1, 2010
Lucien
Campeau, Transradial Pioneer, Dies at 82
Dr. Lucien Campeau, pioneering cardiologist who first performed angiography
through the radial artery in the wrist, passed away on March 15, 2010 at age
82 in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec. In 1989, Dr. Campeau published his experiences
in performing 100 coronary angiographies through the radial artery in the wrist
in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. Three years later, Dr. Ferdinand Kiemeneij
of The Netherlands adapted Campeau's technique and performed the first coronary
angioplasty from the transradial route. (Read
more...)
March 30, 2010
Transradial
Approach to Angioplasty and Stenting to be Featured
at SCAI 2010 Annual Meeting
"There's been a surge of interest in the transradial approach over the past
year," according to Dr. Samir B. Pancholy, who said he expected an overflow
audience at the transradial sessions being held at this year's SCAI 33rd Annual
Scientific Sessions. Similar sessions at last fall's TCT and this
year's ACC meetings resulted in a hundred or more cardiologists standing in
the corridors, listening to the audio feed. At this year's annual SCAI meeting,
being held May 5-8 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, two major concurrent sessions
on transradial are on the agenda. (Read
more...)
March 29, 2010
Does Less
Angioplasty in Women Having a Heart Attack Lead to
Worse Outcomes?
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: A study presented two weeks ago at ACC.10 demonstrated that women admitted
to the hospital for a heart attack were twice as likely to die within a month
as men -- mainly because they were less likely to be sent to the cath lab and
given the gold standard treatment for acute infarction: angioplasty and stenting.
One solution to this problem? Increased use of transradial angioplasty. (Read
more...)
March 25, 2010
Angioplasty
from the Wrist: Help for Patients and Physicians
Interest in the transradial or wrist approach to catheter-based heart procedures,
such as diagnostic catheterization, angioplasty and stent placement, is growing
in the United States. Terumo and Angioplasty.Org have fashioned several tools
to help cardiologists, nurses and technicians learn the technique -- and assist
patients in finding centers where the technique is practiced. (Read
more...)
March 24, 2010
It’s
All In The Wrist… And On The Web: U.S. Physician Demand
For Transradial Access Education On The Rise
Terumo Medical Corporation, a U.S.-based subsidiary of Terumo Corporation,
today announced the launch of its Transradial University, an informational
website that recognizes the growing training and information needs of physicians
and other medical professionals interested in expanding their use of transradial
access as an alternative vascular access site. As transradial adoption expands
in the U.S., two key limiting factors are training and experience. (Read
more...)
March 22, 2010
American
College of Cardiology Speaks Out on Health Care Reform
Bill
Last night the U.S. House of Representatives passed the long-debated healthcare
reform bill in a 219-212 vote. While the bill has generally been
applauded by the medical community, there are specific sections of the package
that were addressed by Dr. Ralph Brindis, newly-elected President of the American
College of Cardiology today in an audio statement on the College's web site. (Read
more...)
March 16, 2010
Dr.
Ralph Brindis Elected President of the American College
of Cardiology
Ralph Brindis, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.C., the Regional Senior Advisor for Cardiovascular
Diseases for Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, CA and Clinical Professor of Medicine
at the University of California, San Francisco, was elected President of the
American College of Cardiology (ACC) at the 59th Annual Scientific Session
of the ACC, held in Atlanta, GA. (Read
more...)
March 14, 2010
Endeavor
Stent: 5-Year Data Show Safety and Efficacy Advantage
The presentation at today's American College of Cardiology meeting of the 5-Year
clinical results from ENDEAVOR III, along with the results of Medtronic's (NYSE:
MDT) pooled Endeavor Trials Program, offers what may be a new paradigm for
judging clinical trial results. Especially when taken together with recent
findings from such studies as FAME and ODESSA, angiographic late lumen loss,
one of the standards by which the performance of drug-eluting stents initially
has been judged, may not be as significant a factor as once thought. (Read
more...)
March 13, 2010
Medtronic
Starts International Study of CoreValve® Transcatheter
Aortic Valve System
Moving to expand the evidence base for the future of structural heart disease
therapy, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), today announced the start of the first
of several new initiatives in a robust international clinical program for its
CoreValve transcatheter aortic valve system, a minimally-invasive alternative
to open-heart surgery for aortic valve replacement. (Read
more...)
March 13, 2010
Transradial
Hands-On Learning Labs Offered by Terumo at American
College of Cardiology Meeting
Terumo Interventional Systems is sponsoring two days of hands-on training in
the transradial approach to angiography and angioplasty for attendees of this
year's American College of Cardiology 59th Scientific Sessions in Atlanta,
Georgia. Building on its industry-leading transradial education focus, these
sessions will be held in Lab #3636 on Sunday, March 14 and Monday, March 15
from 9:00am - 4:30pm. (Read
more...)
March 12, 2010
FDA
Alert: Plavix May Be Less Effective in Some Patients
with Genetic Variation
What some clinicians have known about for some time is now official: the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration today added a boxed warning to the drug Plavix
(clopidogrel) stating that, in some patients with a genetic variation of the
cytochrome CYP2C19, Plavix may not be metabolized properly and therefore may
not be effective for the indicated therapy. (Read
more...)
March 12, 2010
Volcano
Expands Access to FFR with Ability to Integrate with
the Majority of Hemodynamic Monitoring Systems
The value of Fractional Flow Reserve in guiding PCI (percutaneous coronary
interventions) has been shown in the FAME studies, as well as others. Yet the
number of labs using FFR shows that it is an underused modality. Integrating
FFR into standing hemodynamic monitoring systems simplifies the use of this
valuable tool. Today Volcano announced that it is offering FFR technology integrated
with the existing systems manufactured by GE, Siemens, McKesson, and Mennen. (Read
more...)
March 11, 2010
Volcano
Announces Activities at the ACC 2010
The company announced its activities today at Annual Scientific Sessions of
the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Conference taking place in Atlanta
from March 14th to March 16th. Presentations and new product launches will
continue Volcano's mission to demonstrate the limitations of angiography and
the value of IVUS, FFR and OCT. (Read
more...)
March 3, 2010
Functional
Measurement Functioning Well at Volcano
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) announced
its fourth quarter results earlier today.
And if the company's results are any indication, both IVUS and functional measurement
(FM) technologies are increasingly finding a place in the interventional cardiologist's
armamentarium.
Volcano's
sales of IVUS catheters were up 29%, but their FFR measurement product was
up a whopping 92% over the previous fourth quarter. (Read
more...)
March 3, 2010
Volcano
Reports 44% Increase in Fourth Quarter Revenues
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) said today that revenues for the quarter
ended December 31, 2009, were $71.0 million, an increase of 44 percent versus
revenues of $49.3 million in the fourth quarter a year ago. Revenues for the
fourth quarter of 2009 included $5.8 million from Axsun Technologies, Inc.,
which Volcano acquired in the fourth quarter of 2008, and contributed $578,000
in revenues in the fourth quarter a year ago. The Company also reported that
IVUS disposable sales grew 29%, while FM (Functional Measurement) disposable
revenues increased 92%. (Read
more...)
February 19, 2010
Plavix
After Stents: How Long?
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Current guidelines are for
a year or more of dual antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting stents.
But how did we arrive at that number and what research is currently being
done? Should it be a longer period, or shorter? (Read
more...)
February 17, 2010
Cardium
Announces Agreement With bioRASI to Advance and Broaden
Clinical Development of Generx Product Candidate
Cardium Therapeutics (NYSE Amex: CXM) today announced that it has entered into
an agreement with bioRASI, an international contract research organization,
to assist Cardium in the evaluation of Generx clinical development opportunities
within major newly-industrializing markets in Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin
America, for patients with chronic coronary artery disease who are either not
optimal candidates for or do not have access to costly angioplasty/stenting
or cardiac bypass surgery procedures. (Read
more...)
February 16, 2010
Stents
Downgraded by Wall Street Journal: If Only It Were
That Simple
A broad-based critique, claiming overuse of heart stents and angioplasty, was
published as a major feature in Thursday's Wall Street Journal. There's no
question that the COURAGE study raised important issues, but the WSJ piece
oversimplifies its implications and leaves out some critically important points. (Read
more...)
February 16, 2010
Interview
with Dr. Eric J. Topol: Optimal Antiplatelet Therapy
After Stenting
Commenting on the very large DAPT trial, Dr. Topol says, "The notion that
we should treat all patients for X duration is totally crazy. It completely
goes against all the evidence that every patient is an individual with a separate
biologic story.... I'm amazed that it's going forward." In this interview,
Dr. Topol discusses the work his Institute at Scripps is doing in genomic studies
of platelet responsiveness and its implications in determining the optimal
duration of dual antiplatelet therapy. (Read
more...)
February 12, 2010
Clinton
and Eisenhower: Presidents, Hearts, Stents and 55 Years
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: It's a
holiday concurrence: Valentine's Day and President's
Day and American Heart Month -- and former President
Bill Clinton who got his heart fixed six
years ago and just got a "tune-up", is already back home. This was not the
case 55 years ago when Dwight D. Eisenhower suffered a massive heart attack. (Read
more...)
February 11, 2010
IVUS
vs. FFR -- Boston Style
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Is Intravascular
Ultrasound (IVUS) really "10 times better" than
Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR)? Boston Scientific thinks so. (Read
more...)
February 11, 2010
Bill
Clinton Has Angioplasty, Receives Two Stents
Former President Bill Clinton "is in good spirits" and recovering from a
successful angioplasty procedure in which two stents were placed, according
to Clinton spokesman Douglas Band. (Read
more...)
February 9, 2010
Volcano
Has AAA Week: Accused, Approved and Acquired
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Volcano Corporation
(Nasdaq: VOLC) has had a pretty interesting week, from
a jury ruling against the company to an FDA approval
and a significant product acquisition. (Read
more...)
February 9, 2010
Volcano
Receives FDA Clearance to Market the Eagle Eye® Platinum Digital IVUS Catheter
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), announced today
that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) to market the Eagle Eye® Platinum digital IVUS catheter in the United
States. This state-of-the-art catheter offers all of the benefits of the predecessor
Eagle Eye® Gold catheter, plus improved deliverability and the convenience
of additional radiopaque markers. (Read
more...)
February 9, 2010
Volcano
Corporation Completes Acquisition of Lumen Biomedical's
Xtract™ Thrombus Aspiration Catheter
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), a leading developer and manufacturer of
precision intravascular therapy guidance tools designed to enhance the diagnosis
and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease, announced today
that it has acquired the Xtract™ Thrombus Aspiration Catheter device line from
Lumen Biomedical. (Read
more...)
February 7, 2010
Herbal
Supplements vs. Heart Drugs: Controversy Re-ignited
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: An article, that
should be of special concern to stent and angioplasty patients,
appears in the current Journal of the American College of
Cardiology (JACC). This "state-of-the-art paper" from the
Mayo Clinic has rekindled the herb vs. pill battle and raised
the ire of the alternative medicine community. (Read
more...)
February 5, 2010
Patent
Spending
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Boston
Scientific spends almost $2 billion to settle its long-standing
patent issues with Johnson & Johnson. (Read
more...)
February 5, 2010
Volcano
Corporation Announces Litigation Status
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) today announced that the jury in the litigation
filed by Lightlab Imaging, Inc. on January 7, 2009 in the Superior Court of
Massachusetts, Suffolk County reached a verdict against Volcano and its wholly
owned subsidiary, Axsun Technologies. (Read
more...)
January 26, 2010
Cardium
Provides Update on Commercial Development Plans for
Generx Angiogenic Therapy for Heart Disease at 2010
Cell and Gene Therapy Forum
Cardium Therapeutics (NYSE Amex: CXM) has provided an update on plans for the
continuing commercial development of Generx(TM) a DNA-based angiogenic therapy
product candidate for patients with coronary artery disease. (Read
more...)
January 26, 2010
Approvals
and Acquisitions: Medtronic Continues Expanding Beyond
the Coronaries
With the FDA's approval of its Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve, the first
percutaneous valve to be approved in the U.S., and its acquisition of European-based
Invatec, Medtronic is positioning itself to expand its interventional cardiology
portfolio well beyond the coronary arteries. (Read
more...)
January 25, 2010
Stent
Manufacturers Donate Millions To Haiti Earthquake Relief
In the two weeks since a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, the major U.S.-based
stent manufacturers have responded by pledging over three million dollars of
aid for both immediate and long-term relief efforts. (Read
more...)
January 11, 2010
Volcano
Corporation Announces Preliminary Record Revenues for
Fourth Quarter 2009; Total Year Revenues are Expected
to Exceed Prior Guidance
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) said today that it expects total revenues
for fiscal 2009 will be approximately $228.0 million, with revenues in the
fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 expected to be approximately $71.0 million, reflecting
year-over-year revenue growth of approximately 33 percent. (Read
more...)
January 5, 2010
Volcano
Corporation Announces Receipt of CE Mark for Its OCT
Imaging System and Catheter
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) announced today receipt of CE mark for their
OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) imaging system and catheter. Volcano's OCT
product line is expected to complement its existing line of IVUS imaging catheters
and pressure guide wires used for coronary imaging and lesion assessment. (Read
more...)
December 15, 2009
Volcano
Announces Installed Base Growth Milestone
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), a leading developer of precision intravascular
therapy guidance tools - including Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR), Intravascular
Ultrasound (IVUS), Forward Looking IVUS and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
- designed to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral
vascular disease, announced today the placement of over 2,500 s5 family consoles
worldwide. The s5 family of consoles was first launched in April 2006, with
more than 1,000 systems placed in the last 12 months alone. (Read
more...)
December 8, 2009
Medtronic
Hires Renowned Cardiologist as Vice President of Medical
Affairs for Coronary and Peripheral Business
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), today announced the hire of Prof. Martin Rothman
as vice president of medical affairs for the company’s coronary and peripheral
vascular business. Prof. Rothman will join Medtronic after 37 years of clinical
practice in the U.K. as an interventional cardiologist.
He is world renowned for his contributions to clinical
research, training and education, and medical technology
innovation in cardiovascular medicine. (Read
more...)
December 5, 2009
Transradial
Angiography and Intervention Seminar Now Online
This fall's Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) meeting in San
Francisco offered a unique and important session, "The Transradial
Angiography and Intervention Seminar", comprising an entire afternoon with over twenty
separate presentations by global leaders in the field of stents and angioplasty,
as performed from the wrist. The complete session is now available online at
the TCT's website, TCTMD.com (Read
more...)
November 25, 2009
Fractional
Flow Reserve (FFR) Recognized in Guidelines, Not So
Much In Reimbursement
Commentary From the Editor's Blog: Lower costs and
a third less heart attacks and deaths. FFR should be in every
cath
lab, right? Yet currently penetration of this technology
in
the
U.S. is
only 5%. (Read
more...)
November 25, 2009
Fractional
Flow Reserve (FFR) Gains in Updated ACC/AHA/SCAI Guidelines
The use of Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) to determine whether or not to treat
a coronary blockage with angioplasty or stents has received a boost from the
newly released "Focused Updates to the ACC/AHA/SCAI Guidelines on Percutanous
Coronary Intervention." (Read
more...)
November 17, 2009
PPIs
and Plavix -- Confusion Reigns Supreme
A warning from the FDA and the results of a new observational study call into
question what some cardiologists thought was a settled matter: does taking
Plavix with Prilosec, or other Proton Pump Inhibitors, cause increased risk
of heart attack and other adverse events? (Read
more...)
November 9, 2009
Volcano
Corporation Presentation at Canaccord Adams Conference
to Be Webcast
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), a leader in the development, manufacture
and sales of products for the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral
artery disease, said today that it will be participating in the Third Annual
Canaccord Cardiovascular Conference on Tuesday, November 10. (Read
more...)
November 7, 2009
Donald
Baim, Interventional Cardiologist, Dead at 60
Interventional cardiologist, Donald S. Baim, died yesterday following surgery,
performed to treat a rare form of cancer that attacks the adrenal glands. He
was 60. Baim was one of the pioneers of interventional cardiology, having worked
with John Simpson at Stanford in the early days of balloon angioplasty. (Read
more...)
November 5, 2009
Volcano
Reports 22 Percent Increase in Third Quarter Revenues
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) today reported revenues of $53.9 million
for the third quarter of fiscal 2009. The results for the quarter ended September
30, 2009, represent an increase of 22 percent over revenues of $44.1 million
in the third quarter of 2008. (Read
more...) October 5, 2009
2009
Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon “Global Heroes” Celebrate
Accomplishment
Twenty-three Medtronic Global Heroes, long-distance runners who benefit from
medical technology, successfully completed either the Medtronic Twin Cities
Marathon or the Medtronic TC 10 Mile on Sunday, Oct. 4. These extraordinary
runners hail from the United States and eight other countries, including Canada,
Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. (Read
more...)
September 24, 2009
Results
From Landmark PROSPECT Trial Demonstrate the Ability
of Volcano's VH® IVUS Imaging to Identify Plaques Most
Likely to Cause Heart Attacks
PROSPECT results presented today include the landmark finding that angiographically
mild lesions with certain morphologic features on grayscale and VH IVUS present
with a 3 year cardiac event rate of 17%, versus other morphologies (indistinguishable
by conventional angiograms) with three year event risks of less than 1%. (Read
more...)
September 24, 2009
Prilosec
and Plavix Together Again!
Late Breaking News form the TCT 2009. The COGENT Trial resolves the controversy
over Proton Pump Inhibitors and Plavix. The result: no interaction was found
between
the
two
and it is
safe
for patients
to take their Prilosec with their Plavix! (Read
more...)
September 23, 2009
Volcano
Corporation Praises FAME Study Results
The results of the prospective, multi-center trial at 12-months, originally
published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2009, demonstrate that
patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease who were treated by FFR
guidance had a 34% reduction in death and myocardial infarction (MI) compared
to angiographic guidance alone. The clinical benefit of FFR-guidance at two
years showed the sustained reduction in death and heart attacks of 34%. (Read
more...)
September 22, 2009
SRO
at the Wrist Angioplasty Seminar -- Transradial is
Hot
From The Editor's Blog: I'm at the TCT in San
Francisco, standing outside "The Transradial Angiography
and Intervention Seminar" -- because (and a hundred or
so cardiologists) can't fit in the room! (Read
more...)
September 17, 2009
Angioplasty
Comes Home to San Francisco (Video)
From The Editor's Blog: Next week thousands of interventional cardiologists
will gather in San Francisco for the TCT, the largest meeting about angioplasty,
stents and related procedures in the world. But what most of these cardiologists
don't realize is that they will be coming home -- "home" being where
the first coronary angioplasties were done. (Read
more...)
September 16, 2009
Training
for Transradial Angioplasty: Get On The Wait List
Courses in the transradial approach to PCI have been difficult to find, but
as word about transradial's benefits spreads, a new problem has arisen -- attendance
at these
courses fills
up even
before the dates are announced. (Read
more...)
September 16, 2009
Interview
with Sunil V. Rao, MD, FACC
The Director of the Cardiac Cath Lab at the Durham VA Medical Center in Durham,
North Carolina and author of a landmark study about transradial, discusses
the current status of this approach in the U.S. and its growth. (Read
more...)
September 16, 2009
Transradial
Angioplasty at TCT
From The Editor's Blog: I've previously complained about how the national cardiology
meetings have barely mentioned a technique used 50% of the time in Canada,
Europe and Asia. But this year's TCT is stepping up and has even scheduled
an entire afternoon symposium (Tuesday, September 22) devoted to transradial. (Read
more...)
September
16, 2009
Transradial
Angioplasty Activities at TCT 2009
This year's Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) meeting in San
Francisco will host a number of symposia and workshops highlighting the growing
use of the transradial (wrist) approach to angioplasty, stenting and diagnostic
catheterizations. The centerpiece of the weeklong activities is "The Transradial
Angiography and Intervention Seminar" comprising an entire afternoon with twenty-three
separate presentations by global leaders in the field. (Read
more...)
September 15, 2009
Drug-Eluting
Stents: Looking Ahead
From The Editor's Blog: During the
first two days (September 21-22) of this year's TCT, the meeting
will be hosting the "DES Summit" -- more than 16 hours
of presentations -- over 100 separate short talks on every aspect
of drug-eluting stents, from safety to antiplatelet therapy to biodegradable
stents to drug-eluting balloons and the use of these devices in patients
from stable to STEMI (heart attack). (Read
more...) September 15, 2009
Drug-Eluting
Stent Summit Announced for TCT 2009 Meeting in San
Francisco
Over 16 hours of presentations on drug-eluting stents will kick off next week's
TCT meeting, billed as the largest global medical and scientific symposium
dedicated to interventional cardiovascular medicine. The annual week-long meeting
is being held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco this year, and will return
to its regular venue in Washington DC in 2010. (Read
more...)
September 13, 2009
Terumo
Interventional Systems Announces Launch of Glidewire
Advantage™ Peripheral Guidewire
The Glidewire Advantage Peripheral Guidewire combines Terumo’s well-established
Glidewire construction on the distal 25 cm with a unique spiral PTFE coating
on the proximal end. The result is a guidewire that easily navigates and crosses
the lesion, while also providing the operator with excellent tactile feel and
support for secure device placement. These two wire sections are seamlessly
fused together using Terumo’s proprietary DuoCore™ Technology. (Read
more...)
September 13, 2009
Terumo
Interventional Systems Announces Line Expansion of
Its Pinnacle® Destination® Guiding Sheaths
The introduction of the 8F Destination Guiding Sheath extends the range of
interventional procedures that can be performed by this market-leading product
to include atherectomy and stent graft procedures.
The Pinnacle Destination Guiding Sheath line supports virtually all applicable
diagnostic and interventional procedures, offering
a comprehensive range of French sizes (5F – 8F), lengths
and tip shapes as well as two different valve types. (Read
more...)
September 10, 2009
Volcano
Corp. Announces Events at TCT Meeting
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), a leader in the fields of Intravascular
Ultrasound (IVUS) and Functional Measurement (FM) today announced a wide variety
of events taking place at this year's Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics
(TCT) meeting in San Francisco. A wide spectrum of activities will demonstrate
how these technologies can improve the results obtained from angioplasty and
stenting, and includes late-breaking clinical trials, symposia with panels
of experts, live case demonstrations and an investor event. (Read
more...)
August 21, 2009
Interview
with David E. Kandzari, MD
Dr. David E. Kandzari is Director of Interventional Cardiology Research at
Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California. His career in interventional cardiology
has been unique in that he has had the opportunity to be involved in drug-eluting
stent issues from multiple perspectives: academic, clinical, regulatory and
industry. In this exclusive interview, Dr. Kandzari shares his thoughts on
the current status of drug-eluting stents and the outstanding safety and clinical
issues. (Read
more...)
August 20, 2009
Transradial
Angioplasty Training Course Announced for Scranton,
Pennsylvania
To help meet the need for training of cardiologists and staff in the technique
of transradial access for angioplasty and stenting, Pennsylvania-based Drs.
Samir B. Pancholy and Ian Gilchrist have organized a one-day training course
in the method. The didactic course will be held on October 10, 2009 at the
Hilton Scranton & Conference Center. (Read
more...)
July 29, 2009
Is
Radioactive Isotope Shortage an Opportunity for CT
Scans to Shine?
From the Editor's Blog: Maybe the shortage of technetium, used in nuclear stress
tests, will increase the utilization of CT Angiography. (Read
more...)
July 28, 2009
Transradial
Wrist Angioplasty Safe and Effective in Treatment of
Heart Attack
For
patients having the most serious form of heart attack, a new study
from the United Kingdom concludes that primary angioplasty performed
from the wrist "is safe, with comparable outcomes to a
femoral approach and a lower risk of vascular complications." (Read
more...)
July 27, 2009
Volcano
Corporation Schedules Second Quarter Conference Call,
Webcast
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) will hold a conference call to discuss its
financial results and operating activities open to all interested parties at
2 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time (5 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time), Tuesday, August
4, hosted by Scott Huennekens, president and chief executive officer, and John
Dahldorf, chief financial officer. (Read
more...)
July 10, 2009
Prasugrel
/ Effient Approved by FDA
After a year-and-a-half of review, amid concerns over potentially serious bleeding
complications, the FDA today approved Eli Lilly's blood thinner Prasugrel (it
will be marketed in the U.S. as Effient). (Read
more...)
July 8, 2009
Volcano
Achieves Major Milestone in Japan Direct Sales Initiative
With Signing of Termination Agreement With Goodman
Volcano Corporation said today it has signed a termination agreement with its
largest distributor in Japan, Goodman Company, Ltd. This agreement, which took
effect today, will enable Volcano to accelerate its transition to a direct
sales force in the market to support its intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and
Functional Measurement (FM) consoles and disposables, as well as products currently
in development. (Read
more...)
July 5, 2009
Stents:
An Insider's Look
From the Editor's Blog: I recently talked at length with Dr. Giulio Guagliumi
of Bergamo, Italy about his extensive work with one of the newest intravascular
imaging
modalities
that looks inside the coronary artery: Optical Coherence Tomography, or OCT.
He's been using the light-based technique to examine implanted stents and determine
whether or not healing has occurred; that is, whether the stent struts have
been covered over by a layer of endothelial cells. (Read
more...)
July 5, 2009
Interview
with Giulio Guagliumi, MD About Optical Coherence Tomography
and Stents
Dr. Giulio Guagliumi, an internationally recognized leader in the use of Optical
Coherence Tomography (OCT) in the coronary arteries, practices in the Cardiovascular
Department of Ospedali Riuniti di Bergamo in Bergamo, Italy. Dr. Guagliumi
has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and is principal investigator
in several clinical trials assessing the performance of stents inside the coronary
artery, using OCT imaging. In this interview, he discusses the dynamic changes
occurring with this technology. (Read
more...)
June 22, 2009
Texas
Governor Signs Landmark Early Heart Disease Detection
Screening Legislation
Today Governor Rick Perry of Texas signed the nation's first preventive cardiovascular
screening bill for early detection of coronary artery disease. The legislation,
which will take effect on September 1, requires Texas insurers to pay up to
$200 for a either a non-contrast computed tomography (CT) scan measuring coronary
artery calcification, commonly known as a Calcium scoring exam, or ultrasonography
for measuring carotid intima-media thickness and plaque. (Read
more...)
May 28, 2009
Heart
Experts: Texas Gov. Perry Can Save Thousands of Lives,
Reduce Healthcare Costs
Both houses of the Texas Legislature have passed HR 1290 which mandate
that Texas insurers must cover simple Calcium Scoring and ultrasound tests
for the early detection of coronary artery disease. The leaders of SHAPE (Society
for Heart Attack Prevention and Eradication) which count among them some of
the leading cardiologists in both the U.S. and Europe now hope that
Governor Rick Perry will sign the bill, making Texas the first state to make
available what these experts feel is a critically important diagnostic test. (Read
more...)
May 26, 2009
Texas
Senate Passes Calcium Scoring Bill
On Saturday May 23, the Texas State Senate passed the Texas Heart Attack Preventive
Screening Bill (HR 1290) by a vote of 26-5. This is significant because it
mandates insurers in Texas to cover Calcium Scoring, the first legislature
to do so. (Read
more...)
May 26, 2009
Women's
Heart Health at Stanford
In my recent interview with Dr. Jennifer Tremmel, Clinical Director of Women's
Heart Health at Stanford, we discussed some of the ways in which heart disease
manifests itself differently in women than in men, and how treatment for women
has been skewed by the historical context. (Read
more...)
May 25, 2009
Meeting
to Highlight Use of New Imaging Technologies for Guiding
Stent and Angioplasty Procedures
This week marks one of the first courses to focus exclusively on the range
of innovative intravascular imaging and measurement technologies that have
been gaining in use over the past couple of years. "OCT, IVUS, FFR: When, Where,
How" will be held on May 28 and 29 in Bergamo, Italy. The course will utilize
the newest innovations in Optical Coherence Tomography(OCT), Intravascular
Ultrasound (IVUS), Virtual Histology (VH) and Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR)
and how they can be used to optimize percutaneous procedures, such as angioplasty
and stenting. (Read more...)
May 20, 2009
Interview
with Jennifer Tremmel, MD
Dr. Tremmel is Director of Transradial Interventions at Stanford Medical Center
and Clinical Director of Women's Heart Health at Stanford Clinic. Within 6
months of learning the radial technique, she was doing 100% radial angioplasties,
reducing complications from bleeding to near zero. (Read
more...)
May 19, 2009
Optical
Coherence Tomography (OCT) Presentations by Volcano
at EuroPCR 2009
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) today highlights its technology leadership
position in the emerging field of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) at the
EuroPCR conference in Barcelona, Spain. Volcano's wholly owned subsidiary,
Axsun, has developed what we believe to be a truly revolutionary new class
of ultra-miniaturized external cavity lasers that are expected to power the
highest performance OCT systems for intracoronary and other medical imaging
segments. (Read
more...)
May 19, 2009
New
Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) Study of Underexpanded
Stents, Thrombosis and Restenosis
A study, published in the current issue of JACC Interventions, details 120
drug-eluting stent cases as viewed by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in order
to examine characteristics that may lead to in-stent restenosis (ISR) or stent
thrombosis. The researchers found that in cases of thrombosis, the proximal
parts of many of the stents were inadequately expanded. An accompanying editorial
suggests greater use of IVUS and more attention to detail can reduce the number
of these adverse clinical events. (Read
more...)
May 18, 2009
Medtronic
to Participate in the Piper Jaffray Post-EuroPCR Summit
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced it will participate in the Piper
Jaffray PCR Post-Op Summit on Friday, May 22, 2009, in London. Scott R. Ward
Scott Ward, President, CardioVascular
Medtronic Scott Ward, president of the CardioVascular business and senior vice
president at Medtronic, will speak to the attendees of the conference at 8
a.m. British Summer Time (2 a.m. Central Daylight Time). (Read
more...)
May 18, 2009
Volcano
Announces Worldwide Exclusive Distribution Agreement
With Lumen Biomedical for Xtract™ Thrombus Aspiration
Catheter
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) today announced an exclusive worldwide distribution
agreement to initiate the formal launch of the Xtract™ thrombus
aspiration catheter, manufactured by Lumen Biomedical. The Xtract thrombus
aspiration
catheter is available for immediate sale in the U.S. and Europe. This marks
Volcano's entry into what some believe is a $70+ million aspiration market. (Read
more...)
May 16, 2009
Innovative
Stent Manufacturer XTENT Plans To Close Business After
Failing to Find Buyer
XTENT (Nasdaq: XTNT), maker of an innovative stent that received the European
CE Mark just two months ago, is closing its doors after failing to find a partner
or buyer, a goal first announced in January. The Company's Board of Directors
voted yesterday that "it is in the best interests of the Company and
its stockholders to liquidate the Company's assets and to dissolve the Company." The
plan is subject to stockholder approval. (Read
more...)
May 13, 2009
Volcano
Corporation Presentation at JMP Conference to be Webcast
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) said today that it will
be participating in the Eighth Annual JMP Securities Research Conference on
Monday, May 18.
The presentation by John Dahldorf, chief financial officer, will begin at 3:00
p.m., Pacific Daylight Time (6:00 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time). (Read
more...)
May 6, 2009
Plavix
PPI Study Released
From the Editor's Blog, what the newly released Medco Study of Plavix and Proton
Pump Inhibitors means for physicians and patients. (Read
more...)
May 6, 2009
Heartburn
Drugs Increase Cardiac Events for Stent Patients by
50%
Most stent patients are required to take the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel
(Plavix) for at least a year to prevent blood clots inside the stent. A new
study, presented today at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions
(SCAI) 32nd Annual Scientific Sessions, showed that the beneficial effects
of Plavix are compromised by common drugs, used for the treatment of heartburn
and ulcers: the combined risk of hospitalization for heart attack, stroke and
other serious cardiovascular illnesses was increased by 50%. (Read
more...)
May 6, 2009
Volcano
Corporation Presentation at Bank of America/Merrill
Lynch Conference to be Webcast
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) said today that it will be participating
in the Bank of America and Merrill Lynch 2009 Health Care Conference on Thursday,
May 14. The presentation by Scott Huennekens, president and chief executive
officer, will begin at 11:20 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time (8:20 a.m., Pacific
Daylight Time). (Read
more...)
May 5, 2009
Volcano
Reports 1st Quarter Revenues of $49 Million; IVUS and
FM Businesses Grew 24%
Volcano Corp. (VOLC) reports a greater loss over the same period in 2008, due
mainly to lower margins and the strength of the
dollar. However, revenue of intravascular ultrasound and functional measurement
products grew 24%. (Read
more...)
May 4, 2009
Effectiveness
in Stenting
As Volcano's CEO Scott Huennekens writes in an op-ed piece, there's
a whole toolbox of devices and techniques that are candidates for "comparative
effectiveness" in
that they may be able to increase the success of interventional procedures
-- or
even
target patients
who need these procedures more accurately. (Read
more...)
May 1, 2009
Comparative
Effectiveness Research and The Patient
More than a billion dollars has been allocated to "Comparative Effectiveness
Research" in the U.S. Federal government's stimulus package, yet the term continues
to be confused with "cost-effectiveness". They are not the same, and in an
attempt to clarify the difference, Angioplasty.Org will be posting a number
of articles and interviews in the near future about these issues: specifically
how they impact the field of interventional cardiology. (Read
more...)
April 27, 2009
Volcano
Corporation Schedules First Quarter Conference Call,
Webcast
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), a leader in the development, manufacturing
and sales of products for the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral
artery disease, today announced that it will report its operating results for
the first quarter of fiscal 2009 on Tuesday, May 5. (Read
more...)
April 21, 2009
CT Scans for Strokes
Today's Wall Sreet Journal discusses the controversy over the use of CT scans
to diagnose and triage treatment for stroke victims. (Read
more...)
April 18, 2009
Plavix
and PPIs: Update
A reader writes in about Plavix and proton pump inhibitors to get the latest
info -- there is some, and soon there will be more when the SCAI meets in Las
Vegas next month. (Read
more...)
April 17, 2009
Transradial
Angioplasty at ACC.09
A summary of all studies concerning transradial access that were presented
during the American College of Cardiology 58th Annual Scientific Session held
March 29-31, 2009. The take-away message from these studies was that the radial
approach is comparable in success rate to the femoral with significantly lower
complications. Radial access also makes possible same-day discharge of patients
after stenting. (Read
more...)
April 17, 2009
Angioplasty from the Wrist: Interest is Growing But Lack of Training Limits Spread in U.S.
U.S. cardiologists who practice the radial approach have identified lack of
training opportunities as a major roadblock to its proliferation. Yet at this
year's ACC.09, one of the largest cardiology conferences in the U.S., exposure
to studies involving the transradial approach was limited to six poster
presentations and one 15-minute oral presentation. (Read more...)
April 8, 2009
Medtronic's
Endeavor Stent Reduces Occlusion of Small Arterial
Side Branches by 50%
A new study, published online before print in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions,
concludes that "Patients treated with ZES [Medtronic's Endeavor Zotarolimus
Eluting Stent] were less likely to develop sidebranch occlusion during stent
placement than patients treated with PES [Boston Scientific's Taxus Express
Paclitaxel Eluting Stent]. (Read
more...)
April 6, 2009
Cardiology
Sites Taking Notice of the Radial Approach to PCI
Two polls on web sites for cardiology professionals are gauging the interest
and popularity of the transradial (wrist) approach to angioplasty and stenting
-- and the results are surprising, considering the low utilization of radial
in the U.S. (Read
more...)
April 3, 2009
Medtronic
Launches Driver Sprint RX Coronary Stent System Worldwide
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced earlier this week that it has begun the
international launch of its Driver Sprint RX Coronary Stent System, which received
the CE (Conformité Européene) Mark in February 2009. The company plans to have
its bare-metal stent on a rapid exchange platform commercially available in
more than 100 countries worldwide. “The Driver stent system has always been
very deliverable,” explained leading stent researcher Dr. C. Dubois of Leuven
University Hospital in Belgium. “Now, the new Driver Sprint system makes it
even more deliverable for the most challenging anatomy.” (Read
more...)
March 30, 2009
Medtronic's
Endeavor® Drug-Eluting Coronary Stent Approved in Japan
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), today announced approval of its Endeavor drug-eluting
coronary stent system by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare
(MHLW), clearing the way for the highly anticipated launch of the product in
the world’s second largest market for advanced medical technology. Medtronic
plans to launch the Endeavor drug-eluting stent (DES) immediately following
the authorization of reimbursement which is expected on May 1, making the Endeavor
DES commercially available in every major market in the world. (Read
more...)
March 29, 2009
Abbott's
Market-Leading XIENCE V® Shows Increasing Clinical
Advantages Over TAXUS® Express2™/TAXUS® Liberte™ Between
Two and Three Years
Long-term data presented today from Abbott’s SPIRIT II clinical trial demonstrated
that the clinical advantages of the XIENCE V® Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent
System continued to increase between two and three years compared to the TAXUS® Express2™ Paclitaxel-Eluting
Coronary Stent System / TAXUS® Liberte™ Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System
(TAXUS). (Read
more...)
March 29, 2009
ZEST:
3 Stents Go Head-to-Head-to-Head
The results of ZEST, a large scale randomized multi-center trial of all comers
were presented this morning to the i2 Summit at ACC.09 by Dr. Seung-Jung Park
of Asan Medical Center in South Korea. The goal of the trial was to evaluate
paclitaxel- and sirolimus-eluting stents compared with zotarolimus-eluting
stents in patients with coronary artery disease. (Read
more...)
March 29, 2009
Small
Trial for Innovative 'Healing' Stent Contradicts Findings
from Larger Studies
Cardiologists anticipating positive results from a small head-to-head study
comparing the novel Genous 'pro-healing' stent to a third generation bare metal
chromium-cobalt stent were disappointed yesterday by less than favorable data
from the 100-patient GENIUS-STEMI study. The MACE rate was 24% for the Genous
vs. 10% for the bare metal stent. TLR was 14% vs. 4%. Not only were these rates
very high, but they were far different from data that has been presented in
the initial clinical trials for the Genous, as well as a very large 5,000-patient
observational study, called the e-Healing Registry. (Read
more...)
March 29, 2009
Society
of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) Announces
Third Annual Young Investigator Awards
The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT), the leading international
professional society devoted to cardiovascular computed tomography (CT), is
now accepting submissions for the third annual Young Investigator Awards. Sponsored
by Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc., the unrestricted educational grant
will be awarded to two residents or fellows in either radiology or cardiology
for their patient care research in the categories of technical and clinical
advancement of cardiovascular CT. The deadline for submissions is April 6,
2009 (Read
more...)
March 28, 2009
Stents:
Same Outcomes, Less Money Than Surgery for Many Heart
Patients
For many patients with triple-vessel or left main disease, drug-eluting stents
provide similar outcomes to bypass surgery -- and for less money, according
to data from the SYNTAX trial, presented this morning to the i2 Summit at the
American College of Cardiology's 58th annual scientific session. (Read
more...)
March 27, 2009
Medtronic
Announces ACC 2009 Presentations
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), today announced highlights of clinical data presentations
scheduled for the 2009 American College of Cardiology (ACC) meeting that feature
the company’s cardiovascular innovations, including the Endeavor Drug-Eluting
Stent (DES) and the Export Aspiration Catheter. ACC.09 takes place in Orlando
March 28–31 at the Orange County Convention Center. (Read
more...)
March 27, 2009
Volcano
Announces Schedule of Events at the ACC 2009, Integration
into Indec and Medis Software Platforms
Joe Burnett, Vice President of Marketing at Volcano commented, "Three years
ago, you could flip through the ACC program and see a couple of presentations
on intravascular assessment using IVUS or FFR. This year, there are more than
50 presentations, case reviews and abstracts focused on FFR, IVUS, OCT, Forward-Looking
IVUS, and VH® IVUS plaque composition. Word is getting out that more precise
guidance during PCI is important, and the sheer number of talks focused on
higher resolution tools, highlight the increased demand for access to these
technologies. (Read
more...)
March 26, 2009
Boston
Scientific Announces ACC 2009 Schedule
Boston Scientific Corporation today announced the schedule of the Company's
major events and news announcements at the 58th Annual Scientific Session of
the American College of Cardiology / i2 Summit, which runs from March 28-31
in Orlando, Florida. (Read
more...)
March 26, 2009
ACC
2009 Sessions on Intravascular Imaging and Functional
Measurement
The upcoming American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Sessions, being
held in Orlando, Florida from March 28-31 is featuring more than 50 presentations,
case reviews and abstracts focused on intravascular imaging and functional
measurement modalities, such as Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR), Intravascular
Ultrasound (IVUS, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), as well as newer technologies,
like Forward-Looking IVUS and VH plaque composition. (Read
more...) March 26, 2009
Cordis
Celebrates 50 Years of Transforming Cardiovascular
Care
As cardiologists are arriving in Orlando for the beginning of this weekend's
58th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American College of Cardiology, just
a few hours away, Cordis Corporation will be celebrating its 50th anniversary
as a manufacturer of innovative medical devices. (Read
more...)
March 24, 2009
Abbott
Moves Forward with Bioabsorbable Stent
Following recent publication of the two-year results of the ABSORB clinical
trial of its novel bioabsorbable drug-eluting stent, Abbott Vascular today
announced the start of the next phase of the trial, set to enroll 80 additional
patients. Article contains an exclusive video of Dr. Charles Simonton, Chief
Medical Officer for Abbott Vascular. (Read
more...)
March 24, 2009
Is
The Scaffolding Coming Down?
From the Editor's Blog -- Today's good news about Abbott's bioabsorbable stent
brings the following analogy to mind: scaffolding. Unfortunately scaffolding
inside the artery, unlike its building construction counterpart, cannot be
removed once its job is done. (Read
more...)
March 20, 2009
XTENT's
Customizable Drug-Eluting Stent Gets European CE Mark
Approval
Hopefully, for the innovative stent manufactured by XTENT, Inc. (Nasdaq: XTNT),
yesterday's European approval has not come too late. On Thursday, the company
announced that it has received CE Mark approval for its CUSTOM NX drug-eluting
stent (DES) System. (Read
more...)
March 11, 2009
Broadcasting
Live Cases
Our video about the live demonstration course in interventional cardiology
was shown at last week's CRT 2009 meeting. (Read
more...)
March 10, 2009
Bent
Out of SHAPE
Did the American Heart Association give its support to a Texas bill which would
put the SHAPE Task Force recommendations into law regarding Coronary Artery
Calcium screening...or not? (Read
more...)
March 9, 2009
Interview
with James K. Min, MD, FACC
The "Advances in Imaging" interview series presents discussions with researchers
and leading specialists in the field of coronary imaging. This current discussion
is with Dr. James K. Min, Director of Cardiac CT labs at Weill-Cornell Medical
College at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital about the role of CT vis-a-vis nuclear
stress testing, radiation dosage from Cardiac CT and more. (Read
more...)
February 28, 2009
Medtronic
Acquires Non-Surgical Aortic Valve Technologies
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced this week that it is acquiring two privately
held companies that have been in the forefront of development for transcatheter
aortic valves. The move, estimated at slightly more than $1 billion, positions
Medtronic to move forward with future development and clinical trials of these
non-surgical approaches to aortic valve replacement, a field currently occupied
by Edwards LifeSciences. (Read
more...)
February 20, 2009
Volcano
Corporation Announces Webcast of February 25th Analyst
Day
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) will hold its 2009 Analyst Day on Wednesday,
February 25, at the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York City. The webcast will begin
at 10 a.m.,
Eastern Standard Time (7 a.m., Pacific Standard Time) and conclude at 2 p.m.,
Eastern Standard Time (11 a.m., Pacific Standard Time). (Read
more...)
February 17, 2009
Medtronic
Reports Third Quarter Revenue of $3.5 Billion
The company reported third quarter revenue of $3.494 billion, a three percent
increase over third quarter revenue reported in fiscal year 2008 or a six percent
increase after adjusting for an unfavorable $110 million foreign exchange impact. (Read
more...)
February 17, 2009
Volcano
Reports Full Year Revenues Increase 31 Percent
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), a leader in the development, manufacturing
and sales of products for the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral
artery disease, today reported that revenues for the full year 2008 increased
31 percent over full year 2007 and that revenues for the fourth quarter of
2008 increased 23 percent over revenues in the fourth quarter of 2007. (Read
more...)
February 17, 2009
Medpedia
-- OMG!!!
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: As a rough estimate, it would seem that
much of the information about interventional medicine on Medpedia is five years
old. If this is any indication of the accuracy
of the rest of Medpedia, I would definitely advise patients to go elsewhere.
I would not call it Web 2.0 -- rather Web minus 1.25. (Read
more...)
February 12, 2009
Volcano
CEO to Present at Roth Capital Partners Conference;
Webcast Announced
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), a leader in the development, manufacturing
and sales of products for the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral
artery disease, said today that it will be participating in the Roth Capital
Partners 21st Annual Growth Stock Conference on Wednesday, February 18. (Read
more...)
February 11, 2009
Taking
Cost-Effectiveness to Heart
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Can government decide which therapies are
effective and cost-effective? For all patients? What about the concept of personalized
medicine? (Read more...)
February 6, 2009
Vote for
Radial!
This week's poll on theheart.org is about the transradial (wrist) approach
to catheterization and angioplasty. The question is "Should radial access become
the default choice for PCI?" (Read
more...)
February 6, 2009
Volcano
Corporation Schedules Fourth Quarter Conference Call,
Webcast
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), a leader in the development, manufacturing
and sales of products for the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral
artery disease, today announced that it will report is operating results for
the fourth quarter and all of fiscal 2008 on Tuesday, February 17. (Read
more...)
February 5, 2009
CT Heart
Scans, Radiation and the Media
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Many headlines have been generated by a
recent study in JAMA -- headlines proclaiming the high radiation doses from
Cardiac
CT scans. But the real news is how low
some of the doses were, and that much lower radiation levels are achievable
by all centers currently doing multislice computed tomography. (Read
more...)
February 4, 2009
CT Scans
of the Heart Can Be Done with Low Radiation Dose
Physicians are able to perform CT scans of the heart with minimal radiation
exposure, according to a study published in today's Journal of the American
Medical Association (JAMA). However, this new study shows wide variation in
centers and calls for increased education and training to achieve optimum results. (Read
more...)
January 30, 2009
Wrist
Angioplasty Gaining Acceptance in U.S.
Over the past year, the transradial approach, doing angioplasty and inserting
coronary stents using the wrist as the access site, has gotten significant
attention. Peer-reviewed studies and presentations at meetings have consistently
shown decreased bleeding complications, increased patient comfort and safety,
and lower cost. (Read
more...)
January 28, 2009
Circulation
Publishes Pivotal Two-Year Results On XIENCE V™ Drug
Eluting Stent
Data published online today in Circulation from the SPIRIT III U.S. pivotal
trial evaluating the XIENCE V™ Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System
demonstrated that Abbott's market-leading XIENCE V outperforms the TAXUS® Express²™ Paclitaxel-Eluting
Coronary Stent System (TAXUS) in reducing major adverse cardiac events (MACE)
at two years. (Read
more...)
January 28, 2009
TAXUS® Liberte® Drug-Eluting
Stent System Approved in Japan
Japan has now approved its first second-generation drug-eluting stent, and
that honor goes to Boston Scientific's TAXUS Liberte Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary
Stent System. The company announced today that it has received approval from
the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) to market the stent. (Read
more...)
January 28, 2009
Plavix
Safety Update
The Editor's Blog provides a link to the joint statement by the American College
of Cardiology Foundation, American Heart Association and the American College
of Gastroenterology, regarding the safety of Plavix (clopidogrel) when used
in conjunction with NSAIDs and the issue of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) such
as Prilosec, Prevacid, Protonix, Nexium, etc. (Read
more...)
January 26, 2009
Plavix,
Prilosec, Prevacid, Protonix -- Do I Hear a Nexium?
Commentary from the Editor's Blog on the FDA announcment today that it is reviewing
the safety of Plavix (clopidogrel) when used with Proton Pump Inhibitors. (Read
more...)
January 25, 2009
Medtronic
Seeks Runners -- Stents Included
Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) recently announced that it is looking for runners from
around the world who have benefited from medical technology to participate
in the company's 4th Annual Medtronic Global Heroes program. Stent patients
are included. The deadline for entry is March 31, 2009. (Read
more...)
January 25, 2009
Study:
CT Scans and Stents Successful in Treating Strokes
Emergency use of CT scans and stents may be able to treat and significantly
reduce the symptoms of a stroke. That is the conclusion of a small 16-patient
study presented this week by Dr. L. Nelson "Nick" Hopkins of the University
at Buffalo, SUNY. The data, presented at the 21st Annual International Symposium
on Endovascular Therapy (ISET), showed that stents were able to open blocked
brain arteries in all of the patients, and that 11 patients (69 percent) had
significant improvement in their stroke symptoms. (Read
more...)
January 23, 2009
Economy
Claims Innovative Xtent
In an announcement today, Xtent Inc. (NASDAQ: XTNT) located in Menlo Park,
California, stated that it is engaging the services of an investment bank to
help the company pursue strategic alternatives, possible sale of some or all
of the company's assets, or other type of acquisition. And of it 121 employees,
all but nine have received termination notices, effective March 23. (Read
more...)
January 23, 2009
EkoSonic™ Ultrasound
Delivery Reduces Dose of Clot-Busting Drugs and May
Lessen Risk of Bleeding in Peripheral Thrombolysis
An innovative catheter-based ultrasound system has been shown to reduce the
need for so-called clot-dissolving drugs by 50%. Since a well-known side-effect
of such drugs is bleeding, a technology that reduces the amount of drug needed
may have significant beneficial impact on clinical outcomes. Once the clot
is dissolved, the patient can then be treated with angioplasty, stents or medical
therapy. (Read
more...)
January 21, 2009
XIENCE
V™ Stent Takes the Lead
In sharp contrast to the current gloomy picture in the healthcare sector, Abbott
reported this morning that its 4th quarter 2008 global sales rose 10.1% over
2007, and that the company's XIENCE V drug-eluting stent was a significant
contributor to the bottom line. (Read
more...)
January 20, 2009
Volcano
Highlights Commitment, Market Acceptance of FFR Product
Line
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), a leader in the development, manufacturing
and sales of products for the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral
artery disease, today commented on the increased demand for their FFR and IVUS
capable consoles, as well as their FFR pressure guide wires. Since announcement
of the FAME study results at the TCT in October, the FFR option for Volcano's
s5i integrated imaging console was included in more than 90% of all new orders. (Read
more...)
January 19, 2009
When
Less is More: Stents, That Is
So many news reports about the recent FAME study in the New England Journal
of Medicine drive home a message that is not exactly correct. The "Stents
May Be Overused" headline is misleading. And here's why. (Read
more...)
January 19, 2009
Transradial
Access from the Wrist is Safer, Easier For Many Patients
Undergoing Angioplasty or Stenting of Blocked Heart
Arteries
Every year, about one million Americans opt for angioplasty over bypass surgery
to open their blocked arteries. New data suggests that beginning the angioplasty
procedure by entering through the wrist, rather than through the groin, will
make it safer and easier on patients. (Read
more...)
January 17, 2009
FAME: "Back
to the Future"
The leading story about stents this past week has been the publication of the
FAME study and how a new St. Jude Medical device that measures blood pressures
inside the artery can reduce the number of unnecessary angioplasty and stent
procedures. Well...it's not a new device; it's definitely not a new concept;
and St. Jude doesn't exactly get the credit for it either, since their chief
role was to acquire the company that created the product. But it is an important
study! (Read
more...)
January 15, 2009
Better
Outcomes for Stents When Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR)
is Used
One-third fewer stents were used in the FFR group and the difference in outcomes
at one year were significant: the FFR group showed a 28% lower incidence of
major adverse cardiac events (repeat procedure to open the artery, heart attack
or death) -- 18.3% vs. 13.2%. The implication in these results is that placing
stents in lesions that are not responsible for ischemia is not only not necessary,
but may cause worse outcomes. (Read
more...)
January 15, 2009
Interview
with Nico H. J. Pijls, MD, PhD
Angioplasty.Org conducts an exclusive interview with Dr. Nico Pijls, co-principal
investigator of the FAME study (Fractional Flow Reserve vs. Angiography for
Multivessel Evaluation) published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study concludes that "Routine measurement of FFR in patients with multivessel
coronary artery disease who are undergoing PCI with drug-eluting stents significantly
reduces the rate of the composite end point of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction,
and repeat revascularization at 1 year." (Read
more...)
January 13, 2009
Dreadlines
About Stents Revisited
How can a mere article in the "newspaper of record" be dangerous? Is the pen
mightier than the catheter? Is there such a thing as a "killer journalist"? (Read
more...)
January 13, 2009
Medtronic
Seeking Long-Distance Runners Who Benefit From Medical
Technology
Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) announced today it is recruiting runners from around
the world who benefit from medical technology to participate in the fourth
annual Medtronic Global Heroes program. Up to 25 runners will be selected to
receive a paid entry for themselves and a guest to the Medtronic Twin Cities
Marathon or the Medtronic TC 10 Mile and a travel package. The deadline for
applications is March 31, 2009. (Read
more...)
January 12, 2009
Radial
Access Session to be Featured at ISET 2009
The 21st annual ISET meeting in Florida, being held January 18-22, 2009, is
featuring a special concurrent session on Monday, January 19 from 4:30-6:00pm.
Titled "Radial Access Techniques and Applications", Dr. Ramon Quesada of Baptist
Cardiac and Vascular Institute in Miami will moderate a panel with Jeffrey
J. Popma, MD of St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston and Ron Caputo, MD of
St. Joseph's Hospital Cardiology Associates in Syracuse, New York. (Read
more...)
January 12, 2009
Medtronic
to Acquire Ablation Frontiers for $225 Million
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) and privately held Ablation Frontiers, Inc., today
announced that the two companies have entered into an agreement whereby Medtronic
will acquire Ablation Frontiers for an initial payment of $225 million plus
potential additional payments contingent upon achievement of certain clinical
milestones. (Read
more...)
January 7, 2009
Volcano
Announces Closing of Axsun Technologies Acquisition
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), a leader in the development, manufacturing
and sales of products for the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral
artery disease, said today that it has closed its previously announced acquisition
of Axsun Technologies, Inc. (Read
more...)
January 6, 2009
Volcano
Corporation Presentation at J.P. Morgan Conference
to be Webcast
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), a leader in the development, manufacturing
and sales of products for the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral
artery disease, said today that it will be participating in the 27th Annual
J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, January 14. (Read
more...)
January 5, 2009
Leading
Interventional Cardiologists Discuss the Advantages
of Transradial Access
Angioplasty.Org is making available a one-hour online symposium, titled "Transradial
Access: The Advantages to You, Your Patient and Hospital", with a panel of
four leading interventional cardiologists: Dr. Jeffrey Popma, Dr. Ramon Quesada,
Dr. Ron Caputo and Dr. Shigeru Saito. The original symposium was held during
the 2008 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) meeting on October
16 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington DC and is being presented
through a partnership of Angioplasty.Org, TCTMD.com and Terumo Medical Corporation. (Read
more...)
January 1, 2009
New
England Journal Criticizes CBS News on Transradial
Angioplasty Report
From the Editor's Blog: I approached Susan Dentzer's article, "Communicating
Medical News - Pitfalls of Health Care Journalism", published in today's issue
of the New England Journal of Medicine, with great interest. I unfortunately
was a bit disappointed, specifically with her criticism of a September 24,
2008 CBS News segment about transradial angioplasty. (Read
more...)
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