A new study found that fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided provisional side branch (SB) stenting of true coronary bifurcation lesions yields similar outcomes to the current standard of care. The DKCRUSH-VI clinical trial is the first study to compare FFR-guided and angiography-guided stenting.

BioControl Medical announced that it has reached an important clinical trial milestone, reaching 480 randomized subjects — or 70 percent — of the planned 650 subjects with congestive heart failure (HF) in the INOVATE-HF (INcrease Of VAgal TonE in Heart Failure) trial of its CardioFit system, the first medical device designed to treat HF using neurostimulation.

September 16, 2014 — Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA), an international specialist in molecular nuclear medicine, announced this week it has entered into an agreement with GE Healthcare in Italy to acquire its Italian FDG-PET imaging agent business (fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography). This acquisition includes the license to market GE Healthcare’s SteriPET (FDG) imaging agent in Italy.

The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) announced its first implant of the Portico Re-sheathable Transcatheter Aortic Valve System, developed by St. Jude Medical.

September 15, 2014 — A new minimally invasive surgery involving a stent graft made from a 3-D image of the patient’s anatomy could eliminate the need for open surgery for some patients suffering from abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA).

Claret Medical Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement for up to $18 million in a Series B financing. The Series B round was led by Santé Ventures, a prominent healthcare-focused venture capital firm with $260 million in capital under management, with participation from Lightstone Ventures, a leading venture capital firm with $172 million under management.