Today EnteroMedics recorded revenue for the first time since it was incorporated nearly eight years ago. The company reported revenue of about $123,000 in the first quarter of the year from the sale of its Maestro RC implantable vagus nerve stimulation system for treating obesity. Revenue was generated through sales by its distribution partner in Australia.
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Boston Scientific Q1 2012 AIMD Results: CRM Down 10%, Neuromodulation 8% Up
Yesterday Boston Scientific announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012. Sales of Cardiac Rhythm Management devices were $501M vs. $559M for Q1 a year ago, or a decrease of 10%. Sales of Neuromodulation devices increased by 8% a year ago from $77M to $84M for Q1.
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St. Jude’s Reports Q1 2012 AIMD Sales Results: CRM down 4%, Neuromodulation up 12%
St. Jude Medical today reported sales and net earnings for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012. Total CRM sales, which include ICD and pacemaker products, were $735 million for the first quarter of 2012, a 4 percent decrease compared with the first quarter of 2011. Of that total, ICD product sales were $450 million
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St. Jude Starts Trial of Accent MRI Pacemaker and Tendril MRI Lead
Today St. Jude announced the first implant in its Accent MRI(R) Pacemaker and Tendril MRI(R) Lead IDE Study (MRI Study). The ultimate goal of the study is to determine if patients with these devices can safely undergo full-body, high resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans to better accommodate their medical needs. The investigational Accent MRI
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Digikon’s History
In response to my post “A Challenge to History Buffs: Who Was Digikon?“, Paolo Pagani sent me the following message: “Digikon was in the years 1977-1985 the brand name product in Italy by Biotec Biomedical Technologies of Bologna – ITALY. Pacemakers were a Digikon O.E.M. production for the trading company of Milan Italy KONTRON already
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Medtronic Receives FDA Appoval for Expanded Use of CRT-D to Class II HF
Medtronic received FDA approval for the expanded use of CRT-D in mildly-symptomatic heart failure patients. The expanded indication includes New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II heart failure patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of less than or equal to 30 percent, left bundle branch block (LBBB), and a QRS duration greater than
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Monash University in Australia Starts Test of Direct-to-Brain Visual Prosthesis Chips
Engineers from the Monash Vision Group (MVG) have begun trialling the ASICs for a direct-to-brain visual prosthesis that is expected to enter human clinical trials in 2014. The prosthesis will consist of a tiny camera mounted into a pair of glasses, which acts as the retina; a pocket processor, which takes the electronic information from
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Magnetically-Coupled Motor/Generator Transfers 100 mW to Implant at 50 cm Range
Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems developed a magnetically-coupled motor/generator system that they claim is able to transcutaneously transfer 100 mW to an implant up to 50 cm away. In the external power-transfer module, a rotating magnet driven by an EC motor generates a magnetic rotary field. A magnetic pellet in
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John Hopkins Researcher Develops New Early-Warning Seizures Detector with Low False-Positive Rate
Johns Hopkins’ Sridevi V. Sarma, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering, has devised new seizure detection software that, in early testing, significantly cuts the number of unneeded brain-stimulation therapy that an epilepsy patient would receive. According to Sarma, “These devices use algorithms—a series of mathematical steps—to figure out when to administer the treatment,” Sarma said. “They’re
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St. Jude Seeks Retraction of Heart Rhythm Journal Manuscript by Dr. Robert Hauser Regarding the Failure of Riata and Riata ST Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Leads
St. Jude announced it is seeking a retraction of the manuscript accepted for publication in the Heart Rhythm Journal by Dr. Robert Hauser, et al., titled, “Deaths Caused by the Failure of Riata and Riata ST Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Leads.” St. Jude claims that the research performed by Hauser undercounted and excluded MAUDE data reports for
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St. Jude Warns Physicians of Potential Problem with QuickSite and QuickFlex LV CRT Leads
St. Jude announced it is proactively informing physicians about visual observations of externalized conductors on the silicone end of QuickSite® and QuickFlex® Left-Ventricular Leads, used to connect Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy devices to the heart. The announcement noted that there have been no reports of patient injury or loss of therapy due to externalized conductors in
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