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Traditional cardiac pacemakers are continuing to improve, particularly in regard to new applications. We have already seen pacemakers with memories from Biotronik (Berlin, Germany) and other companies that can be downloaded by telephone to provide historic information enabling the cardiologist to monitor at a distance.
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Centerpulse (Zurich, Switzerland) reported closing on the previously announced sale of its Carbomedics (Austin, Texas) and Mitroflow (Richmond, British Columbia) mechanical and tissue heart valve businesses to Snia SpA (Milan, Italy), as planned, for about $116 million.
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A Medicare advisory panel recommendation to cover implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) could be a major victory for companies such as Guidant (Indianapolis, Indiana), Medtronic (Minneapolis, Minnesota) and St. Jude Medical (St. Paul, Minnesota).
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A second player has officially arrived in the drug-eluting stent market with a European approval. Boston Scientific (BSX; Natick, Massachusetts) received the CE mark for its Taxus stent system in late January, joining Johnson & Johnsons (J&J; New Brunswick, New Jersey) Cordis (Miami Lakes, Florida) unit in the still-elite coated-stent club.
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After a period of about nine months apparently on hold, the clinical trial of the AbioCor replacement heart made by Abiomed (Danvers, Massachusetts) picked up speed last month, with the company reporting a second implant in January, the two most recent at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky.
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Aesculap (Center Valley, Pennsylvania) said it has been awarded a 24-month agreement with Premier for a complete array of neurosurgery products for the treatment of strokes, tumors and other cerebrovascular conditions. The multi-source agreement, in effect since Jan. 1, is Premiers first contract for neurosurgical products.
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John Thero, chief financial officer at Abiomed (Danvers, Massachusetts), has resigned to pursue a venture-backed opportunity, the company said. Abiomeds controller, Charles Haaser, will serve as acting CFO until a new CFO is named.
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The authors sought to determine if opioid administration before nuclear hepatobiliary imaging delays common bile duct visualization and prolongs imaging.
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The 12-lead ECG shown in the Figure was obtained from a 49-year-old African American man with a history of hypertension, alcohol abuse, and progressively increasing dyspnea. What might his echocardiogram show? How many cardiac chambers are likely to be enlarged?
