Venture capital firms invested more than $738 million during the second quarter of 2018, $1 million less than the first quarter of this year, according to the MoneyTree Report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and CB Insights. There was a total of 61 deals during Q2, an increase from the 48 that the industry saw during Q1.
Avinger receives FDA clearance for Pantheris altherectomy device
July 17, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Avinger (Redwood City, Calif.) recently received FDA clearance for its Pantheris image guided altherectomy device that is designed to treat peripheral artery disease (PAD). Pantheris is the first medical device to be cleared for diagnostics and treatment of PAD. The device lets doctors see inside arteries to treat blockages. It features a built-in camera and
3D color X-rays could help diagnose cancer, heart disease and more
July 16, 2018 By Leave a Comment
New Zealand scientists performed the first-ever 3D, color X-rays on a human, using technology that could improve medical diagnostics in oncology, cardiology, neurology and orthopedics. Based on traditional black-and-white X-ray technology, the scanner incorporates the Medipix3RX detector chip, a particle-tracking technology developed for the CERN Large Hadron Collider. It was developed by the Medipix3 Collaboration, which
Clot-buster captures tiny particles, too
July 2, 2018 By Leave a Comment
MIVI Neuroscience’s next-generation DAISe blood clot management system has had its first-in-human use for treatment of ischemic stroke. The procedure took place in South America, the company said in a statement. DAISe is designed to remove a clot as well as filter and capture clot emboli that fracture during removal. It has a three-dimensional, vessel-conforming
How’d they do that? 7 innovations from medical device contract manufacturers
June 29, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Charles Darwin wrote, “In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” Medical device companies get the credit for many innovations, but many need the ingenuity and commitment of contract manufacturers who design and produce the components that make those big splashes possible.
Bay Labs wins FDA clearance for AI-based echocardiogram analysis
June 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Bay Labs has received 510(k) clearance from U.S. FDA for use of its EchoMD AutoEF software product to provide fully automated clip selection and calculation of left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), the San Francisco–based company said today. The EF is the percentage of blood leaving a heart each time it contracts. Bay Labs in its news release
LiveNova wins FDA clearance for mitral annuloplasty ring
June 15, 2018 By Leave a Comment
LivaNova recently announced that it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Memo 4D semi-rigid mitral annuloplasty ring. Memo 4D is the next generation of devices in the company’s Memo device family. It comes in a wide range of ring sizes from 24 to 42mm, allowing for more patients with mitral regurgitation to get treatment.
How you can control lab-grown heart cells with a remote control light
June 11, 2018 By Leave a Comment
University of California San Diego researchers have created a technique that speeds up and slows down human heart cells that are being grown in a dish on command by shining light on them and varying the intensity. The heart cells are being grown in graphene which turns light into electricity, a more realistic environment that
Abbott is developing a dual-chamber leadless pacemaker
June 4, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Even before its acquisition by Abbott, St. Jude Medical had begun developing a dual-chamber leadless pacemaker, which would be a first if it succeeds. Abbott and Medtronic are the only companies that have developed single-chamber leadless pacemakers; St. Jude recalled its version, Nanostim, in October 2017 after receiving 7 reports of lost telemetry and pacing
8 companies commercializing transcatheter mitral valve replacements
May 22, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Transcatheter mitral valve replacement is a new frontier in the cardio device field, with big legacy medical device companies including Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic and Abbott spending hundreds of millions of dollars on companies in the space. Much different from transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) has been mostly experimental. TMVR is used
Minnesota’s Medical Alley has a big presence at EuroPCR
May 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment
The Medical Alley Association in Minnesota is touting the major presence that companies and organizations from the state will have at this year’s EuroPCR, which is being held this week in Paris. The event — the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions’ annual meeting — is May 22–25 at the Palais des Congrès and is expected to
Peelable tubing technology could transform miniaturized catheters
May 11, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Here’s how peelable tubing technology is leading to advances in catheterization. Joe Rowan, Junkosha The future of the medical tubing sector is an interesting one, not least because there are a variety of pressures on organizations within this space to provide cost-effective, highest quality products in shorter timescales. This is mainly driven by the global healthcare
Medtech stories we missed this week: May 11, 2018
May 11, 2018 By Leave a Comment
From ReShape submitting an approval application to Health Canada to Conavi receiving FDA clearance, here are seven medtech stories we missed this week but thought were still worth mentioning. 1. ReShape submits for Health Canada approval of ReShape balloon ReShape announced in a May 10 press releasethat it has submitted an application to the Medical Devices Bureau of
All heart: A Google executive’s real-world experience with medtech
May 7, 2018 By Leave a Comment
After hearing the story of her 10 cardiac surgeries and seven pacemakers, you could be forgiven for thinking that Heidi Dohse has a weak heart. But the Google executive, endurance cyclist and, now, inspirational speaker she may have a stronger heart than most people on the planet. Dohse, a senior program manager at Google and
This research advance could boost blood vessel growth and improve endurance
May 7, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers think they’ve developed a way to promote new blood vessel growth to reverse age-related endurance loss that comes with blood vessels losing their capacity to deliver oxygen and nutrients to muscle tissue. The MIT researchers developed a compound that reactivates longevity-linked proteins also promotes the growth of blood vessels and muscle
