May 4, 2012 - SMT Research & Development Ltd. (SMT) announced the addition of three key executives to its management team, including a new CEO, CFO and chief medical officer, plus two additions to its board of directors. The company also announced that its shareholders and board of directors have approved the company's name change to Keystone Heart Ltd.

May 4, 2012 - Medtronic Inc. announced six-month pooled outcomes from randomized and crossover patients in the Symplicity HTN-2 clinical trial following renal denervation with the Symplicity renal denervation system showing significant, sustained blood pressure reduction in patients with treatment-resistant hypertension. These data presented at the European Society of Hypertension annual meeting showed patients (n=84) who received renal denervation treatment with Symplicity experienced a mean blood pressure reduction of -28/-10 mm Hg (p<0.001) at six months following treatment compared with baseline. No evidence of renal impairment was observed and renal function measures remained unchanged.

May 2, 2012 — St. Jude Medical Inc. yesterday released its biannual product performance report (PPR) on its website, updating the performance of all the company’s cardiac rhythm management devices, including actively-monitored registry data that supports the safety and reliability of the current-generation Durata lead with Optim insulation. The report also provides a new, expanded analysis specifically addressing the performance of the company’s high-voltage leads.

May 1, 2012 — Cameron Health Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Circulatory System Devices Panel voted 7-1 that sufficient data exists demonstrating the efficacy and safety of the S-ICD (subcutaneous-implantable cardioverter defibrillator) system for the treatment of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

April 26, 2012 — Interventional cardiologists can and should lead efforts to improve quality, cut costs and ensure appropriate use of procedures. Elliott Fisher, M.D., MPH, professor of medicine at Dartmouth, an internationally recognized expert on variations in health system performance and one of the originators of the concept of accountable care organizations, will challenge the interventional cardiology community to accomplish these and other goals at a town hall meeting during the 2012 Scientific Sessions of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) in Las Vegas. His keynote address, “Why Interventional Cardiology Needs to be a Change Leader,” will set the stage for an interactive discussion with cardiologists attending the conference.