The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a letter Jan. 17, 2019, to healthcare providers regarding a recent publication that suggests a possible increased risk of death at two years and beyond in patients treated for a type of peripheral artery disease (PAD) with paclitaxel-coated balloons or paclitaxel-eluting stents. The letter was issued in response to a recent publication in the Journal of the American Heart Association identifying the risk. It recommends doctors continue to monitor these patients, and discuss the benefits and risks of all available treatment options for patients with PAD.

Cerenovus, of Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies, recently launched the EXCELLENT Registry to collect and analyze stroke-inducing blood clots removed from the brain with its Embotrap II Revascularization Device. The company also announced European CE Mark approval for the Geometric Clot Extractor (GCE) Revascularization Device.

Abbott announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder to treat patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). The company calls it the world's first medical device that can be implanted in the tiniest babies (weighing as little as two pounds) using a minimally invasive procedure to treat PDA. The Amplatzer Piccolo, a device even smaller than a small pea, now offers hope to premature infants and newborns who need corrective treatment, and who may be non-responsive to medical management and high risk to undergo corrective surgery.

Research suggests that a gene that governs the body’s biological (circadian) clock acts differently in males versus females and may protect females from heart disease. The study is the first to analyze circadian blood pressure rhythms in female mice. The research was published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology — Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.