CardioKinetix Inc. announced that it has received regulatory approval for the Parachute system in South Korea by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS).

A randomized trial found that ranolazine did not reduce the composite rate of ischemia-driven revascularization or hospitalization in patients with a history of chronic angina who had residual unrevascularized coronary artery disease after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Results from the LEADERS FREE trial found that a polymer-free drug-coated stent (DCS) was superior to a bare-metal stent (BMS) in high-bleeding-risk patients treated with one month of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). It was the first randomized clinical trial dedicated to this particular patient population.

Direct Flow Medical Inc. announced one-year outcomes from the DISCOVER post-market study that demonstrate excellent real-world results for the Direct Flow Medical Transcatheter Aortic Valve System. The data were presented last week at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) annual meeting by Federico De Marco, M.D., from the Policlinico San Donato in Milan, Italy.

Bracco Diagnostics Inc. announced that Lumason was approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for pass-through status under the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS). Lumason is an ultrasound contrast agent indicated for use in adults with suboptimal echocardiograms to opacify the left ventricular chamber and to improve the delineation of the left ventricular endocardial border.