Jewelry used to adorn the human ear is not the stuff of legend where medical technology is concerned, but a clip-type device, similar to an earring, that can be worn on the tragus of the ear might soon become daily wear for those who suffer from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Researchers at the University of Oklahoma say their self-administered clip can relieve POTS with just one hour’s use per day over a period of two months, a finding that might prove an inexpensive and convenient treatment for as many as one million Americans who currently have few treatment options.
Bringing both ventricles back into synchrony has long been the subject of cardiological hopes in patients with heart failure, but current approaches to maximizing the function of the left ventricle leave many patients in a desperate state of cardiac dyssynchrony. However, Ebr Systems Inc., has reported the results of a study that demonstrates that its WiSE device can pace the left ventricle in patients who are unresponsive to conventional pacing in an effort to restore optimal left ventricular function, a development Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Ebr says will allow the company to conclude a premarket filing with the U.S. FDA.
Pulsed field ablation (PFA) seems to have seized the moment in the field of cardiac electrophysiology, given its seemingly superior performance over other ablation modalities as a treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF). New data from three studies were presented at this year’s annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society that further confirm the value of PFA as a treatment for both persistent and paroxysmal AF with data sets that seem to confirm that PFA is poised to sweep aside the current standards for ablation, potentially overturning a treatment paradigm that took decades to establish.
Recent developments may seem to have rendered artificial intelligence (AI) little more than the latest internet sensation, but a presentation at this year’s annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society confirms yet again that AI is much more than just a trend. A new AI algorithm paired with a single-lead electrocardiogram accurately predicted the onset of ventricular tachycardia in 88% of patients in an outcome that could enable cardiologists to thwart thousands of sudden cardiac death (SCD) events each year, potentially ushering in a new age of cardiac care across the globe.
The EU’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act is still in the thick of the legislative process, which seems likely to ladle even more regulatory liabilities onto AI software used for medical purposes. Bodo Wiegand, senior advisory at Viopsy, told attendees at a May 18 webinar that between the promise of yet more regulation along with existing coverage and reimbursement hurdles in the EU, developers of medical software are considering whether they should steer clear of developments that qualify as AI simply because of the extraordinary time and expense associated with generating revenues for these projects.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that a judgment of more than $487 million has been lodged against Cameron-Ehlen Group Inc., of Bloomington, Minn., for alleged violations of the False Claims Act (FCA) in connection with the company’s distribution of products used in cataract surgeries. That final amount is more than 10 times the amount alleged to have been billed illicitly to federal health programs, a clear signal that inducement of this sort will be met with severe penalties.
Amsterdam-based Royal Philips NV has posted the data from the complete set of third-party testing of the polyester-based polyurethane (PE-PUR) sound abatement foam used in its first-generation CPAP and other devices, and the news is not good for the U.S. FDA. These third-party evaluations have concluded that the foam used in these first-generation devices is unlikely to exert any “appreciable harm” to patients, a conclusion that runs directly counter to the FDA’s implicit argument about the foam.
Most of the decisions arising from the inter partes review (IPR) process used in the U.S. patent system are the final word on the related patent dispute, but Guardant Health Inc., managed to at least temporarily reverse such an outcome recently. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed an IPR determination that 16 claims found in a patent held by Guardant were obvious and kicked the case back to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) for further consideration, but the affected patent is not clear of an adverse determination just yet.
A subcommittee of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee met to review the status of policies for novel medical devices and drugs, but a partisan rift was immediately evident at the hearing. House Democrats were generally in favor of more drug price negotiation power for the federal government and opposed to immediate Medicare coverage of breakthrough medical devices while Republicans generally steered in the opposite direction, suggesting that drug and device makers should not expect clear legislative sailing over the course of the 118th Congress.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is proposing to lower the age of onset of regular breast cancer screening to 40 years, a massive jump of 10 years over the current recommended age of 50 years. While this is just a draft proposal, analysts who track the medical device industry say that medical imaging manufacturers, such as Marlborough, Mass.-based Hologic Inc., could see a significant uptick in demand for their systems, a much-needed boost as the drop in demand incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end.
