Xenios announced in late November that it had received CE mark for i-cor, an acute mechanical circulatory support device that provides assistance to a failing heart with an external, heartbeat-synchronized system that generates an artificial pulse. The company believes i-cor will open up new therapy options for the hundreds of thousands of patients in acute heart failure (cardiogenic shock) and in those undergoing high-risk interventions in the cath lab – a market opportunity estimated at $5 billion annually in the US and Europe alone.

St. Jude Medical says it will pay $3.4 billion to own ventricular-assist device leader Thoratec, pointing to significant synergies in the heart failure and interventional cardiology markets. The deal would thrust VADs into a diversified cardiology firm for the first time, and it includes a "go-shop" period that leaves an opening for other big device firms to enter competing bids.

Results of the 446-patient trial presented at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Annual Meeting show non-inferiority of the HVAD to FDA-approved ventricular assist devices in destination therapy patients.