December 6, 2007
Gift Funds L. Nelson Hopkins III, M.D. Endowed Chair in Neurosurgery
Inspired by the work of internationally known pioneering neurosurgeon L. Nelson "Nick" Hopkins III, M.D., the chairman emeritus of Merrill Lynch and Co. has made a gift of $1.5 million to the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences to establish an endowed fund to name a neurosurgery chair in honor of the distinguished physician. (Read more...)

November 15, 2007
Toshiba Medical Announces 4th Generation Gadolinium Contrast-Free Technique: Time and Space Angiography (TSA)
Adding to the robust offering of contrast-free techniques from Toshiba Medical, TSA creates images that show dynamic blood flow without using contrast agents, such as gadolinium. As the first medical imaging company to introduce advanced contrast-free MRA techniques, Toshiba is further expanding the capabilities and safety of MRA imaging. (Read more...)

November 8, 2007
Volcano Reports Record Third Quarter Revenues
Volcano Corporation, a leading provider of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and functional measurement (FM) products, today reported record revenues of $31.5 million, a 13 percent increase over revenues of $27.8 million in the third quarter a year ago. (Read more...)

November 8, 2007
Cordis Europe Partnering With Volcano Europe to Provide Access to Intravascular Imaging (IVUS) for Use in Drug-Eluting Stent Procedures
One of the major drug-eluting stent makers seems to agree with the idea that intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guidance is critical for the proper placement of their devices. This move is a significant one for Volcano, which has long been trying to educate the interventional cardiology community about IVUS. (Read more...)

November 6, 2007
Toshiba Medical Announces Study on Use of 64-Slice CT Angiography in the Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease in Diabetics
More than 1,000 patients from Utah, women older than 55 years old and men older than 50 years old, will be enrolled in the faCTor64 study using Intermountain Healthcare's diabetes registry of 30,000 patients, who have already received best-practice diabetic care. Intermountain, known for its quality initiatives, has one of the largest diabetic databases in the country. (Read more...)

November 5, 2007
64-Slice CT Heart Scan Gets High Marks As Test for Blocked Arteries
A study by an international team of cardiac imaging specialists, led by researchers at Johns Hopkins, concludes that sophisticated computed tomography (CT) scans of the heart and its surrounding arteries are almost as reliable and accurate as more invasive procedures to check for blockages. (Read more...)

November 4, 2007
BRIEF-PCI Study: Less of Schering-Plough's Integrilin clot drug works just as well
(Kim Dixon, Reuters North American News Service)
Using significantly less than the current standard amount of a commonly used clot-preventing drug works just as well and may result in less bleeding in a majority of patients, according to a study released Sunday. The findings, if adopted in widespread practice, could significantly cut treatment costs, according researchers who conducted the 624-patient study presented at the American Heart Association's annual scientific meeting in Orlando. (Read more...)

November 4, 2007
TRITON -- TIMI 38 Study: Prasugrel may rival Plavix
(Marilynn Marchione, AP News)
A new blood thinner proved better than Plavix, one of the world's top-selling drugs, at preventing heart problems after procedures to open clogged arteries, doctors reported Sunday. But the new drug also raised the risk of serious bleeding. People given the experimental drug, prasugrel, were nearly 20 percent less likely to suffer one of the problems in a combined measure — heart attack, stroke or heart-related death — than those given Plavix, a drug that millions of Americans take to prevent blood clots that cause these events. (Read more...)

October 22, 2007
Angioplasty.Org's 30 Years of Documenting Stents and Balloons On View at TCT
10,000 cardiologists in Washington DC can see award-winning filmmaker Burt Cohen's history of "the procedure that changed the face of medicine". (Read more...)

October 16, 2007
Terumo Interventional Systems Launches New Radial Artery Compression Device
Terumo Interventional Systems announces the launch of the TR Band, a radial artery compression device designed to safely and comfortably stop bleeding after transradial procedures. The TR Band sets a new standard of excellence with its easy-to-apply transparent band and precision pressure balloons that enable unobstructed visualization and monitoring of radial artery compression - all while preventing numbness and pain for enhanced patient comfort. (Read more...)

September 3, 2007
Women may need different heart treatments than men, doctors say
(source: Associated Press)
Research presented at the annual European Society of Cardiology meeting in Vienna suggested that surgeries that typically save men's lives can actually be deadly for women. A small study of 184 women conducted by Dr. Eva Swahn of the department of cardiology at University Hospital in Linkoping, Sweden, found that women who had major heart operations like a coronary bypass were more likely than men to die. (Read more...)

September 1, 2007
Positive Findings on Generx Angiogenesis Therapy for Heart Disease Published in JACC
Among the findings reported, a pre-specified analysis showed significant improvements in multiple clinical measures of heart disease among women who received Generx™ (alferminogene tadenovec, Ad5FGF-4) as compared to women in the placebo control group. Generx is currently in Phase 3 trials and has been granted fast-track status by the FDA. (Read more...)

July 25, 2007
Angiogenesis Therapy for Heart Disease Given Fast Track Designation by FDA
Cardium Therapeutics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast track designation to the Company's lead product candidate, Generx(TM) (alferminogene tadenovec, Ad5FGF-4) for the potential treatment of myocardial ischemia. Myocardial ischemia, insufficient blood flow within the heart muscle, gives rise to angina associated with coronary heart disease. (Read more...)

June 22, 2007
Online Hospital Comparison Flawed: Doesn't Measure Angioplasty for Heart Attack
CMS (The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) launched the latest update to its Hospital Compare web site yesterday, for the first time publishing mortality comparisons for both heart attack and heart failure for 4,477 U.S. hospitals, but unfortunately, for patients suffering from heart disease, the data doesn't reveal much. (Read more...)

June 19, 2007
Court Upholds Sanofi-Aventis Plavix Patent
Patients who were hoping to be able to purchase a less-expensive generic version of Plavix (clopidogrel) will have to wait until 2011, according to Judge Sidney Stein of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York. (Read more...)

May 16, 2007
Cardium Initiates Phase 3 AWARE Clinical Study
Cardium Therapeutics announced the start of patient recruitment for its Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the therapeutic effects of Cardium's lead product candidate, Generx(TM) (alferminogene tadenovec, Ad5FGF-4), in women for the potential treatment of myocardial ischemia. The randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial, which is called AWARE (Angiogenesis in Women with Angina pectoris who are not candidates for Revascularization), is expected to enroll approximately 300 women with recurrent stable angina pectoris who are not candidates for revascularization and who are receiving optimal drug therapy. (Read more...)

May 2, 2007
Angioplasty and Better Drug Therapy Have Doubled Survival Rate for Heart Attack Patients
Increased use of angioplasty and stenting, as well as beta-blockers, statins, ACE inhibitors and antiplatelet drugs, has significantly reduced the rates of heart failure, stroke, heart attack and death over the past six years in patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and heart attack, according to a study in the May 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Read more...)

April 24, 2007
Safety of Anti-Anginal Drug Ranolazine is Confirmed, But Drug Does Not Reduce Major Cardiac Events in ACS Patients
Although renolazine (Ranexa) missed its end points of reducing major cardiac events in the MERLIN-TIMI 36 trial, the more robust safety data from over 6,500 patients studied may suggest use in a broader population for relief of angina. (Read more...)

April 17, 2007
Cardium Announces Automated Infusion System for Generx Phase 3 AWARE Study
The automated infusion system will be used in Cardium's Phase 3 AWARE study to standardize the cardiac catheter-based administration of its Generx™ product candidate. The new system, which includes automated syringe pumps, provides accurate and reproducible delivery at a standardized infusion rate for the volumes specified in the AWARE study protocol. (Read more...)

April 11, 2007
Cooler Heads Prevail in Cardiac Arrest
Using an innovative technology that rapidly cools the blood, the body temperature of the cardiac arrest patient is lowered, protecting the brain from damage that can result immediately after a heart attack. (Read more...)

April 11, 2007
Medtronic Combines Vascular and Cardiac Stent, Endovascular and Surgery Businesses
Coronary stents, endovascular aortic stent grafts, valve repair and open heart coronary bypass products will now all be combined as Medtronic Cardiovascular, a new business within Medtronic, Inc. (Read more...)

April 7, 2007
Don't Cancel Your Angioplasty or Heart Stent Yet, Say Patient Advocates
The real take away from the COURAGE trial, is not just that medication is useful, which we know, but that patients benefit from substantial compliance education and lifestyle support. Patients need to participate in treatment decisions, so that they understand their treatment options and can commit to a course of action. (Read more...)

March 28, 2007
Answers to Top Ten Questions About Stents and Angioplasty vs. Drug Therapy: COURAGE Trial Results Breed Public Confusion
The highly-anticipated results of a study comparing heart stents and angioplasty to drug treatment that were released Tuesday have set off a media firestorm of misinterpretation, causing confusion for patients and physicians. (Read more...)

March 16, 2007
Cardium Reports on Recent Highlights and Financial Results
(source: Cardium Therapeutics)
The company wrapped up developments such as the advancement of Generx to a Phase 3 clinical trial in women (the AWARE study), completion of $21.5 million equity financing and more. (Read more...)

March 6, 2007
Cardium Announces $21.5 Million Equity Financing
(source: Cardium Therapeutics)
The proceeds from this financing will be used to initiate Cardium's Phase 3 AWARE clinical study for Generx, initiate the Phase 2b clinical study for Excellarate in the second half of 2007, accelerate the commercialization of InnerCool's Celsius Control System and, at the same time, broaden and expand its temperature modulation technology into other medical indications and applications, and for general working capital. (Read more...)

March 1, 2007
Study Shows Internet Has Changed How Americans Manage Their Health
One third of Americans feels the Internet has changed the way they go about managing and maintaining their health and nearly one in four reported they were a healthier person today because of the Internet. Patients with chronic illnesses were not only more likely to use the Internet for health-related purposes, but experienced a greater impact as well.

March 1, 2007
Heart Bypass Surgery or Stent: An Old Argument Resurrected
For 30 years surgeons and interventional cardiologists have been debating the issue of open heart bypass surgery vs. angioplasty and stents. Now a front page story In the New York Times reports that, given the recent concerns over drug-eluting stent problems, in some patients bypass surgery may be a better solution than stents for treating the problem of coronary artery disease.

February 22, 2007
Coronary Stent Measurement System is Licensed in Canada
(source: Medical Ventures Corp.)
The Metricath Gemini, manufactured by Medical Ventures, uses a dual balloon system to accurately measure the diameter of a coronary artery, in preparation for angioplasty and/or stent placement. (Read more...)

February 15, 2007
Canadian MP Has Heart Attack, Gets Emergency Angioplasty
Ujjal Dosanjh, former Canadian Health Minister and currently a Member of Parliament, started feeling chest pains after attending a meeting at the House of Commons. Only 35 minutes from the time he complained of chest pains, his heart attack was diagnosed and he immediately was treated with emergency angioplasty. (Read more...)

February 15, 2007
FDA Approves New Cordis Carotid Stent to Treat Clogged Neck Arteries
The FDA has approved a rapid exchange version of Cordis PRECISE® / ANGIOGUARD® Carotid Stent System. Cordis also announced the start of a global registry to track 10,000 patients. (Read more...)

February 14, 2007
Will Carotid Artery Stenting Get Expanded Coverage by Medicare?
Medicare is currently considering expanding coverage for a procedure known as carotid artery stenting (CAS). The first carotid stent system, manufactured by Guidant (now part of Abbott) was approved not quite three years ago. CAS competes with the open surgical procedure known as carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and has been shown in a number of clinical trials to have similar outcomes in select groups of patients. The goal of both procedures is to avoid stroke. (Read more...)

February 9, 2007
Cardium & InnerCool Announce New External and Internal Patient Temperature Modulation Systems
(source: Cardium Therapeutics)
Patient temperature modulation is a rapidly-advancing field focused on improving outcomes following major medical events such as stroke, cardiac arrest and heart attack, as well as in the management of patients experiencing trauma or fever. (Read more...)

February 8, 2007
Cordis' Manufacturing Facility Recognized With Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing
(source: Cordis Corporation)
Cordis Corporation, a worldwide leader in interventional vascular technology, announced today that its facility in Juarez, Mexico, is one of the 12 sites selected to receive the 2007 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing. (Read more...)

January 30, 2007
FDA Approves Possis Spiroflex® Catheter for Coronary Blood Clot Removal
(source: Possis Medical, Inc.)
The company announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its AngioJet® Spiroflex® rapid exchange catheter to remove blood clots (thrombus) from coronary arteries.

January 29, 2007
New Results Show Improved Brain Function Retained a Year After Carotid Stent Stroke Treatment
New data presented at the ISET 2007 meeting in Florida shows that a year after undergoing carotid angioplasty and stenting, a minimally invasive treatment to prevent stroke, nearly half of patients (43 percent) showed statistically significant improvement in brain function, such as memory, judgement and reasoning. (Read more...)

January 27, 2007
FDA Approves New Carotid Stent: The Protégé® RX from eV3, Inc.
The FDA has now approved 5 carotid stent systems. This latest, from ev3, Inc. sports an embolic protection filter which can be used with any .014 guide wire. (Read more...)

January 11, 2007
Terumo Interventional Systems Launches Pinnacle® R/O II HiFlo for Superficial Access
(source: Terumo Medical Corporation)
Terumo now is making available a new 4 cm. stiff introducer sheath , used in situations where superficial access is necessary and where the lesion to be treated is close to the vascular access site.

January 10, 2007
Medtronic Announces Canadian Market Release of the First Transcatheter Valve Replacement System for Structural Heart Disease
(source: Medtronic, Inc.)
The company announced today it has received a Medical Device License from Health Canada to sell its Melody™ Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve and Ensemble™ Transcatheter Delivery System.* The system is the first of its kind in North America to treat patients with congenital and acquired structural heart disease requiring pulmonary valve replacement.

January 10, 2007
Medtronic Announces Canadian Market Release of the First Transcatheter Valve Replacement System for Structural Heart Disease
(source: Medtronic, Inc.)
The company announced today it has received a Medical Device License from Health Canada to sell its Melody™ Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve and Ensemble™ Transcatheter Delivery System.* The system is the first of its kind in North America to treat patients with congenital and acquired structural heart disease requiring pulmonary valve replacement.

January 9, 2007
AngioScore Receives Premarket Approval (PMA) for AngioSculpt® Scoring Balloon Catheter
The AngioSculpt is a semi-compliant angioplasty balloon, surrounded by a unique scoring element which works in tandem with the balloon to deliver a “scoring” effect to the target lesion upon balloon inflation. As the balloon inflates, the radial forces are concentrated along the surfaces of the nitinol scoring element. This results in luminal expansion that is precise, predictable and controlled. Barotrauma is reduced resulting in lower dissection rates. Device slippage, which is commonly seen with traditional balloon catheters and may result in “geographic miss”, is eliminated with the AngioSculpt.

January 4, 2007
Boston Scientific Joins Carotid Stent Fray
By acquiring a previously-approved device, Boston Scientific now has an FDA-sanctioned carotid stent system, even though the company is still operating under a year-old FDA warning letter, which placed a hold on Class III device approvals. The company now joins Abbott and Cordis to pursue this growing market. (Read more...)

January 3, 2007
His New Year's resolution is not to die this year
In the flurry of news about drug-eluting stents, bare metal stents and Plavix, one of the great advances made possible by balloon angioplasty and stents is sometime forgotten -- the ability of an intervention to stop a heart attack from continuing on. (Read more...)