In a significant boost to the Edwards Lifesciences Corp. Sapien 3 platform’s market opportunity, the U.S. FDA approved use of the transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with asymptomatic aortic stenosis.

Medtronic plc received CE mark approval for its Harmony transcatheter pulmonary valve system to treat congenital heart disease patients with native or surgically repaired right ventricular outflow tract pulmonary regurgitation.

Edwards Lifesciences Corp. revealed excellent one-year data highlighting the performance of its newest generation Sapien 3 Ultra Resilia valve. Patients treated with the transcatheter aortic valve replacement system experienced lower rates of mortality and reintervention compared to its predecessors.

Two recent trials in cardiovascular disease took critical steps toward addressing ongoing and deadly disparities in cardiac care by focusing entirely on women.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) devices continue to make a splash in the world of medical technology, with the Sapien 3 by Edwards Lifesciences Corp. leading the way. Results of the EARLY TAVR study strongly suggest a need for implant in asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis, a development that should help sustain and possibly increase sales of these devices for the next few years.

The Cardiovascular Research Technologies 2024 conference in Washington this week demonstrated continued positive outcomes for patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement with devices made by Abbott Laboratories, Edwards Lifesciences Corp. or Medtronic plc.

Fractional flow reserve (FFR) processing of computed tomography (CT) images has gained a substantial body of momentum over the past few years, but a recent study posed the question of whether it can save health care systems from excess spending for stable angina.

The history of TAVR devices is evolutionary as much as it is revolutionary, or that is at least the take-away from an Oct. 15 virtual session comparing the Acurate Neo device by Boston Scientific Corp., of Marlborough, Mass., with the Corevalve Evolut R by Dublin-based Medtronic plc.

Edwards Lifesciences Corp. reported better-than-expected results when it released its second quarter earnings late July 23, with revenue down 15% to $924 million, from $1.1 billion in the same period of 2019. The results beat Wall Street consensus of $797.5 million, and reflected an uptick in surgical procedures that had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Irvine, Calif.-based company sustained a net loss of $121.9 million, or $0.20 per share, based on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), a sharp drop from $242.3 million, or $0.38 per share, in the same quarter last year. However, adjusted earnings looked brighter at $0.34 per share.

Medical science continues to define the relative risks of progressively smaller patient subsets across the disease spectrum, but this is particularly true of late in connection with aortic stenosis (AS).