Thoratec Corporation, a world leader in mechanical circulatory support therapies to save, support and restore failing hearts, announced that the FDA has granted conditional approval for a U.S. IDE clinical trial to investigate use of the HeartMate PHP acute catheter-based heart pump in patients undergoing a high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention.

Awards presented today at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 2015 Scientific Sessions in San Diego recognize outstanding SCAI members for their ongoing contributions to the field of interventional cardiology, the Society and patient care. Honorees span a broad spectrum of practitioners, all of whom have demonstrated a commitment to excellence throughout their careers, helping to shape the Society as well as the lives of patients and mentees.

As the healthcare environment changes, interventional cardiologists and cath lab professionals have many reasons to be optimistic about the future of the specialty and their ability to help patients live longer and feel better, according to James C. Blankenship, MD, MHCM, FSCAI, MACC. Dr. Blankenship was inducted today as the 39th president of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) during its 2015 Scientific Sessions. 

The Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE) has just released the first-ever congenital heart disease (CHD) standards for Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory (PCCL) accreditation. Driven by the latest available clinical evidence, the CHD standards are a comprehensive review of interventional procedures in pediatric patients and adults with congenital heart disease.

Stealth BioTherapeutics (Stealth), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing drug candidates for the treatment of diseases involving mitochondrial dysfunction, today announced its EMBRACE results. EMBRACE is a Phase 2 multinational clinical study evaluating Bendavia in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The results were presented at the American College of Cardiology 64th Annual Scientific Session in San Diego, California, during the Late-Breaking Clinical Trials (LBCT) session, Main Tent, from 8:00 AM to 9:15 AM PT.

NeoStem, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel cell based personalized medicine therapies, announced today the presentation of updated efficacy and safety results from the one-year follow-up for its Phase 2 PreSERVE study and additional analyses of certain functional tests at ACC.15, the American College of Cardiology’s 64th Annual Scientific Session and Expo, in San Diego, California. The one-year follow-up results are defined as all data accumulated until the last patient enrolled completed 12 month follow-up.  Thus, the results actually represent data from patients with a median follow-up of 18 months.

Advancing its interventional coronary portfolio with breakthrough engineering concepts in device design and technology, Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT) unveiled the preclinical outcomes of its novel Drug-Filled Stent (DFS) at the 64th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). The preclinical data showed controlled and efficacious drug elution into the arterial wall without a polymer carrier, while reducing diameter stenosis and achieving complete stent coverage quickly without inflammation. Based on these results, Medtronic plans to initiate a clinical trial in the coming months.

Advancing its interventional coronary portfolio with breakthrough engineering concepts in device design and technology, Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT) unveiled the preclinical outcomes of its novel Drug-Filled Stent (DFS) at the 64th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). The preclinical data showed controlled and efficacious drug elution into the arterial wall without a polymer carrier, while reducing diameter stenosis and achieving complete stent coverage quickly without inflammation. Based on these results, Medtronic plans to initiate a clinical trial in the coming months.