December 27, 2012 — Cardiosonic Inc., a private developer of technology in the field of renal denervation for the treatment of hypertension, announced it has closed on the first $6.1 million of a planned $16.1 million Series B financing.

According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), a company focused on global medical technology market intelligence, approximately 80 percent of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures are being performed on high-risk patients who are ineligible for surgical heart valve replacement. New clinical evidence that supports TAVR in treatment of intermediate and high-risk operable patients has led to expanded reimbursement for a new patient base for the procedure. The inclusion of these patients will fuel much of the growth of the TAVR market in Europe over the next four years. The market will grow by 60 percent between 2012 and 2016, following 30 percent growth from 2011 to 2012. The European TAVR market will have a total value of $650 million dollars by 2016.

December 26, 2012 — St. Jude Medical Inc. announced the first patient enrollment in its ILUMIEN I clinical study. The observational study is designed to show the optimal way optical coherence tomography (OCT), combined with the PressureWire Aeris, a wireless interventional tool that measures fractional flow reserve (FFR), can guide stent implantation in patients with coronary artery disease.

December 26, 2012 — Flexible Stenting Solutions Inc. (FSS) announced it gained CE mark in the European Union for its 6 French Reconstrainable FlexStent Femoropopliteal self-expanding stent system. FSS is a developer of next-generation peripheral, neurovascular and biliary stents. This new device combines advanced FlexStent technology with unique reconstrainable stent delivery technology.

At RSNA 2012, GE Healthcare focused attention on next-generation products and solutions in its computed tomography (CT) and Advantage Workstation (AW) businesses with the announcement of three scanners now available — the Optima CT660 FREEdom Edition, the Optima CT540 and the Discovery CT750 HD FREEdom Edition.

A new device about the size of a business card could allow health care providers to test blood for insulin and other blood proteins, cholesterol, and even signs of viral or bacterial infection all at the same time — with one drop of blood. Preliminary tests of the V-chip, created by scientists at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute and MD Anderson Cancer Center, were published by Nature Communications.