October 12, 2009 – Medtronic Inc. recent received CE mark and began its international launch of the Captivia Delivery System for the Valiant Thoracic Stent Graft, a minimally invasive treatment for aneurysms and other lesions of the thoracic aorta.

October 12, 2009 – Medicare regulatory changes expected to be finalized in November pose a threat to 80 million American patients suffering from heart disease, especially for the nearly one in four over the age of 65 living in rural areas, according to the medical lobby group Guarding Hearts Alliance.

October 9, 2009 – CardioPharma is beginning the final funding phase before submitting an FDA new drug application (NDA) for CardiaPill, the world's first patented triple-combination cardiovascular polypill.

October 8, 2009 – The primary results from its groundbreaking PROSPECT (Providing Regional Observations to Study Predictors of Events in the Coronary Tree) clinical trial were released at TCT 2009 in September, which shows promise in identifying and predicting how vulnerable plaque might progress to a cardiac event.

October 8, 2009 – In a recent survey of more than 2,000 U.S. physicians conducted by Epocrates Inc., cardiologists and other specialists shared their perspective on the latest patient visit trends and mobile technology use. With patient visits highly affected by the economy, and the use of technology growing among cardiologists, the company said.

October 8, 2009 – A five-judge panel in the German Federal Patent Court in Munich upheld the validity of an AGA Medical Holdings’ patent for its AMPLATZER occlusion devices and the manufacturing process.

October 7, 2009 – Physio-Control Inc. recently said it received approval by Health Canada to market the LIFEPAK 15 monitor/defibrillator within Canada. Physio-Control was granted CE-mark in January 2009, certifying compliance with the European Union Medical Device Directive and began its U.S. market release of the LIFEPAK 15 monitor/defibrillator in March 2009.

October 7, 2009 – Hospitals receiving performance awards from the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) quality improvement initiative have lower mortality rates for heart attack and heart failure patients than all other hospitals, according to a new study.