• Login
    • Join
  • FOLLOW:
  • Subscribe Free
    • Magazine
    • eNewsletter
    Checkout
    • Magazine
    • News
    • Opinions
    • Top 30
    • Research
    • Supply Chain
    • Device Sectors
    • Directory
    • Events
    • Resources
    • Microsites
    • More
  • Magazine
  • News
  • Opinions
  • Top 30
  • Research
  • Supply Chain
  • Device Sectors
  • Directory
  • Events
  • Resources
  • Microsites
  • Current / Back Issues
    Features
    Editorial
    Digital Edition
    eNewsletter Archive
    Our Team
    Editorial Guidelines
    Reprints
    Subscribe Now
    Advertise Now
    Top Features
    MPO's 2023 Medtech Supply Chain Survey

    Exceeding Medical Device Extrusion Expectations

    Medical Device Micromolders Discuss the 'Minor Details'

    Superior Subtractive Solutions for Machining Medtech

    Assembly & Automation Experts Share Thoughts on Medtech Trends
    OEM News
    Supplier News
    Service / Press Releases
    Online Exclusives
    Press Releases
    People in the News
    Product & Service Releases
    Supplier News
    Medtech Makers
    Technical Features
    International News
    Videos
    Product & Service Releases
    Live From Shows
    Regulatory
    Financial/Business
    Top News
    Dentsply Sirona Names Former NuVasive CEO Lucier as Chairman

    SeaStar Medical Gets Breakthrough Nod for Selective Cytopheretic Device

    ResMed, Nyxoah Team Up to Grow Sleep Apnea Awareness & Therapy in Germany

    Siemens Healthineers’ Magnetom Viato.Mobile Cleared by FDA

    Cardinal Health's Kangaroo OMNI Enteral Feeding Pump Enters U.S. Market
    From the Editor
    Blogs
    Guest Opinions
    Top Opinions
    MPO's 2023 Medtech Supply Chain Survey

    Exceeding Medical Device Extrusion Expectations

    Medical Device Micromolders Discuss the 'Minor Details'

    Superior Subtractive Solutions for Machining Medtech

    Assembly & Automation Experts Share Thoughts on Medtech Trends
    Top 30 Medical Device Companies
    Market Data
    White Papers
    Top Research
    Back to School for Medical Device Cybersecurity Training

    Driving Clinical Trial Excellence to Help Study Teams Run a Faster Relay Race

    Medtech’s Supply Chain: From Disruption to Opportunity

    Are Medtech’s Mega-Deals Gone For Good?

    Will a Skilling Gap Hinder Organizational Readiness for Medtech’s New Age of AI?
    3D/Additive Manufacturing
    Contract Manufacturing
    Electronics
    Machining & Laser Processing
    Materials
    Molding
    Packaging & Sterilization
    R&D & Design
    Software & IT
    Testing
    Tubing & Extrusion
    Cardiovascular
    Diagnostics
    Digital Health
    Neurological
    Patient Monitoring
    Surgical
    Orthopedics
    All Companies
    Categories
    Company Capabilities
    Add New Company
    Outsourcing Directory
    Medbio LLC

    Halkey-Roberts Corporation

    Johari Digital Healthcare Ltd.

    Providence Enterprise USA Inc.

    LEMO USA Inc.
    MPO Summit
    Industry Events
    Webinars
    Live From Show Event
    Industry Associations
    Videos
    Career Central
    eBook
    Slideshows
    Top Resources
    How Wearables Are Changing the Way We Collect Real-World Data in Clinical Trials

    Could Medtech Ever Stop a Hospital Killer in Their Tracks?

    A One-Stop-Shop, Turnkey Solution Is Paramount for Success

    How Additive and Subtractive Manufacturing Are Revolutionizing the Medical Device Industry

    Medical Device Commercialization: It’s What, Not When, to Transfer to Manufacturing
    Companies
    News Releases
    Product Releases
    Press Releases
    Product Spec Sheets
    Service Releases
    Case Studies
    White Papers
    Brochures
    Videos
    Outsourcing Directory
    Medbio LLC

    Halkey-Roberts Corporation

    Johari Digital Healthcare Ltd.

    Providence Enterprise USA Inc.

    LEMO USA Inc.
    • Magazine
      • Current/Back Issues
      • Features
      • Editorial
      • Columns
      • Digital Editions
      • Subscribe Now
      • Advertise Now
    • News
    • Directory
      • All Companies
      • ALL CATEGORIES
      • Industry Associations
      • Company Capabilities
      • Add Your Company
    • Supply Chain
      • 3D/Additive Manufacturing
      • Contract Manufacturing
      • Electronics
      • Machining & Laser Processing
      • Materials
      • Molding
      • Packaging & Sterilization
      • R&D & Design
      • Software & IT
      • Testing
      • Tubing & Extrusion
    • Device Sectors
      • Cardiovascular
      • Diagnostics
      • Digital Health
      • Neurological
      • Patient Monitoring
      • Surgical
      • Orthopedics
    • Top 30 Company Report
    • Expert Insights
    • Slideshows
    • Videos
    • eBook
    • Resources
    • Podcasts
    • Infographics
    • Whitepapers
    • Research
      • White Papers
      • Case Studies
      • Product Spec Sheets
      • Market Data
    • MPO Summit
    • Events
      • Industry Events
      • Live From Show Events
      • Webinars
    • Microsite
      • Companies
      • Product Releases
      • Product Spec Sheets
      • Services
      • White Papers / Tech Papers
      • Press Releases
      • Videos
      • Literature / Brochures
      • Case Studies
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise with Us
      • eNewsletter Archive
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Use
    Online Exclusives

    A Review of the Heart Rhythm Society 2018 Conference

    The event offers a snapshot of what’s happening in the electrophysiology and AF ablation sector.

    A Review of the Heart Rhythm Society 2018 Conference
    Lars Thording, VP, Marketing & Public Affairs, Innovative Health08.16.18
    Cardiology is the most or second-most important service line for most hospitals, both in terms of hospital economics and procedure growth. Within cardiology, electrophysiology is growing by leaps and bounds to become a key treatment area, as cardiac arrhythmia procedures grow and technologies become more advanced. As such, the 39th Annual Scientific Sessions of the Heart Rhythm Society (May 2018), a conference for cardiac arrhythmia professionals and the electrophysiology industry, has received much attention. For those who didn’t have the opportunity to participate in the event earlier this year, following is a quick overview.
     
    Few Players Dominate
    As in previous years, the expo floor was dominated by the four top manufacturers—Philips, Medtronic, Biosense Webster (Johnson & Johnson), and Abbott. This year, however, focus was less on consoles and other capital equipment and more on launching catheters and devices that complete their portfolio of devices. Ultimately, these companies increasingly all provide the same types of devices—those used in cardiac arrhythmia procedures. Most notable among them is AF ablation, which is expected to double in procedural volume between 2016 and 2024.
     
    The other half of the expo floor was populated by a wide range of start-up companies with new innovations that promised to improve the safety or efficacy of cardiac arrhythmia procedures. Their biggest opportunity for commercial success is to be acquired by one of the aforementioned four big players.
     
    In the electrophysiology space, the “peloton” is increasingly absent; the mid-sized companies out of which a few will have the strength to challenge the industry leadership with novel approaches and technologies. This is a shame, since this is often where paradigmatic innovation originates.
     
    Technology Innovation
    Technology innovation is, to a very large extent, responsible for the emergence, growth, and continuous improvements in the electrophysiology space. The four large industry players and the companies they have acquired have assisted progressive physicians in what amounts to a revolution in cardiac arrhythmia treatment. Today, this revolution is reflected in A-Fib patients being presented with curative alternatives to a lifelong dependence on drugs. Although the much-anticipated results of the CABANA (Catheter Ablation vs. Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation) study—presented at the conference—failed to show significant differences in mortality from early AF ablation compared to drug treatment, the treatment methodology—enabled by strong technology innovation—represented massive clinical improvement.
     
    Therefore, it was interesting to see what new innovations were presented by the big industry players. They showcased a series of new devices that took most of the stage in their oversized expo spaces, primarily devices that completed their portfolio of AF ablation devices or represented incremental improvements in efficacy. Biosense Webster presented their newest introducer sheath—the Vizigo. Meanwhile, Baylis presented a new steerable sheath to go with their transseptal needle. Abbott introduced the Advisor HD, an advanced mapping catheter. In addition, several patient monitoring and safety solutions were represented by the smaller companies.
     
    Cost Reduction Strategies
    Given device costs next to treatment complexity and success rates is the likely tallest barrier to further penetration of AF ablation and a thorough technology victory for the big four, the absence of solutions to reduce procedure costs was surprising. An exception to this was single-use device reprocessing, where recent wins in FDA clearances (including the widely used, fairly complex ViewFlex catheter) show potential for significantly reducing the cost of AF ablation and other cardiac arrhythmia procedures. The reprocessing industry has taken a turn into more complex device technologies with lumens and valves.
     
    Conference Participation
    In the past, it was common for us to see groups of nurses from the same lab learning more about their lab practices as it relates to new devices. This year, there were fewer nurses, techs, and “hands on” folks in attendance compared to previous events. Also, there were fewer supply chain professionals in attendance. Instead, it appears the show is becoming more and more dominated by clinicians.
     
    While financial considerations may be the simple reason hospitals don’t send their nursing and purchasing staff to Heart Rhythm Society, a shift in the discussion we had at our expo space may add a different dimension. Electrophysiologists are highly trained clinicians, but while their focus is on the clinical aspects of the cardiac arrhythmia procedures, many of them are leading the discussion regarding economic aspects as well. This is due to the fact that, in electrophysiology today, healthcare economics and clinical issues are intertwined:
     
    Electrophysiologists are passionate about the promises of AF ablation as a curative alternative to pharmaceutical treatment. As technologies become more sophisticated, AF ablation could become a means to provide advanced heart disease solutions to millions of Americans. Since AF ablation is also one of the fastest growing areas of healthcare today, the progress of AF ablation is closely monitored, from both clinical and economic perspectives.
     
    For the electrophysiologist, the success of AF ablation depends on his or her clinical skills, as well as on the availability of appropriate technology. The challenge today is that while highly skilled electrophysiologists are successful with AF ablation in procedures they perform, the success of AF ablation is being hampered by the complexity of technologies, the cost of devices, and the relatively low success rates. Technologies in AF ablation are too expensive, too complicated, and simply not advanced enough. As a result, penetration rates are slow to increase.
     
    As a result, the electrophysiologist’s passion for AF ablation is restrained in terms of impact by device costs and the incremental nature of technology development. To the savvy electrophysiologist, clinical and economic factors overlap, and it was very clear in our discussions at Heart Rhythm Society that this has put the clinician in a leadership position in the economic as well as the technology discussions. 
     

    Lars Thording, Ph.D., has a background in academia, consulting, and industry leadership. He has been responsible for the launch of numerous market-disrupting solutions across healthcare, insurance and technology. Originally from Denmark, Thording has taught at universities in Denmark, Ireland, and the United States. He currently serves as the VP, marketing and public affairs, for Innovative Health, a medical device reprocessing company specializing in electrophysiology and cardiology technology. Thording currently serves on the board of the Association of Medical Device Reprocessors.
    Related Searches
    • hospitals
    • healthcare
    • innovations
    • mpo
    Related Knowledge Center
    • Cardiovascular
    Suggested For You
    CareDx Appoints Hannah Valantine to its Board CareDx Appoints Hannah Valantine to its Board
    The Benefits of Computer Vision Technology for Healthcare Applications The Benefits of Computer Vision Technology for Healthcare Applications
    RapidPulse Closes $15 Million Series A Financing RapidPulse Closes $15 Million Series A Financing
    Abbott Buys Walk Vascular, a Thrombectomy System Maker Abbott Buys Walk Vascular, a Thrombectomy System Maker
    Sectoral Asset Management Invests $9M in Cagent Vascular Sectoral Asset Management Invests $9M in Cagent Vascular
    Ramin Mousavi Appointed CEO of CathWorks Ramin Mousavi Appointed CEO of CathWorks
    CVRx Completes First Procedure With Ultrasound-Guided Implant Approach CVRx Completes First Procedure With Ultrasound-Guided Implant Approach
    Biomedical Engineers Grow 3D Bioprinted Blood Vessel Biomedical Engineers Grow 3D Bioprinted Blood Vessel
    Developing Next Generation Implants with Bioresorbables—A Medtech Makers Q&A Developing Next Generation Implants with Bioresorbables—A Medtech Makers Q&A
    HD Medical Appoints Shaun Setty as Chief Medical Officer HD Medical Appoints Shaun Setty as Chief Medical Officer
    First Clinical Use of SoundBite Medical First Clinical Use of SoundBite Medical's Active Wire Platform
    Early Catheter Ablation of VT Outperforms Conventional Medical Therapy Early Catheter Ablation of VT Outperforms Conventional Medical Therapy
    FDA OKs Abbott FDA OKs Abbott's AI OCT Imaging for Vessels in the Heart
    Hello Heart Raises $45M to Expand Digital Heart Health Platform Hello Heart Raises $45M to Expand Digital Heart Health Platform
    Promaxo Taps Srirama Venkataraman as VP of Clinical Research & Strategy Promaxo Taps Srirama Venkataraman as VP of Clinical Research & Strategy

    Related Breaking News

    • CareDx Appoints Hannah Valantine to its Board

      CareDx Appoints Hannah Valantine to its Board

      Valantine is a professor of Medicine at Stanford and the former National Institutes of Health chief scientific officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity.
      Globe Newswire 09.21.21

    • Digital Health
      The Benefits of Computer Vision Technology for Healthcare Applications

      The Benefits of Computer Vision Technology for Healthcare Applications

      How new technology could save millions of dollars and help patients receive better treatment.
      Henry Bell, Head of Product at Vendorland 09.13.21

    • RapidPulse Closes $15 Million Series A Financing

      RapidPulse Closes $15 Million Series A Financing

      Two industry veterans join the team to support the development of a cyclic aspiration system for ischemic stroke.
      Globe Newswire 09.10.21


    • Cardiovascular
      Abbott Buys Walk Vascular, a Thrombectomy System Maker

      Abbott Buys Walk Vascular, a Thrombectomy System Maker

      Adds mechanical thrombectomy devices for treating patients with peripheral blood clots.
      PR Newswire 09.02.21

    • Sectoral Asset Management Invests $9M in Cagent Vascular

      Sectoral Asset Management Invests $9M in Cagent Vascular

      Money will be used to help manufacture and commercialize the Serranator product.
      Business Wire 09.01.21

    Loading, Please Wait..

    Trending
    • ZOLL Expands Temperature Management Portfolio To Include IQool System
    • Diabetes Innovation: MIT Engineers Unveil Implantable Device With Oxygen Factory
    • Siemens Healthineers Presents Mammomat B.brilliant
    • Danaher Names New Environmental And Applied Solutions Company Veralto
    • Cardiosense Begins SEISMIC-HF I Heart Failure Trial
    Breaking News
    • Dentsply Sirona Names Former NuVasive CEO Lucier as Chairman
    • SeaStar Medical Gets Breakthrough Nod for Selective Cytopheretic Device
    • ResMed, Nyxoah Team Up to Grow Sleep Apnea Awareness & Therapy in Germany
    • Siemens Healthineers’ Magnetom Viato.Mobile Cleared by FDA
    • Cardinal Health's Kangaroo OMNI Enteral Feeding Pump Enters U.S. Market
    View Breaking News >
    CURRENT ISSUE

    October 2023

    • MPO's 2023 Medtech Supply Chain Survey
    • Exceeding Medical Device Extrusion Expectations
    • Medical Device Micromolders Discuss the 'Minor Details'
    • View More >

    Cookies help us to provide you with an excellent service. By using our website, you declare yourself in agreement with our use of cookies.
    You can obtain detailed information about the use of cookies on our website by clicking on "More information”.

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms And Conditions
    • Contact Us

    follow us

    Subscribe
    Nutraceuticals World

    Latest Breaking News From Nutraceuticals World

    D2C Supplement Brand Launches Blood Sugar Support Supplement, Gluco-Control
    Natrol Launches First Non-Melatonin Sleep Supplement
    Metagenics Releases Consumer Survey on Menopausal Support Supplement
    Coatings World

    Latest Breaking News From Coatings World

    California Sports Surfaces Celebrates 70 Years
    ROSS Offers Cost-Effective, Expertly Reconditioned Equipment
    AkzoNobel Shares Sustainable Architectural Solutions at Conference
    Medical Product Outsourcing

    Latest Breaking News From Medical Product Outsourcing

    Dentsply Sirona Names Former NuVasive CEO Lucier as Chairman
    SeaStar Medical Gets Breakthrough Nod for Selective Cytopheretic Device
    ResMed, Nyxoah Team Up to Grow Sleep Apnea Awareness & Therapy in Germany
    Contract Pharma

    Latest Breaking News From Contract Pharma

    Univercells Expands into the U.S. With New Offices in Andover, MA
    Evecxia Therapeutics, Quotient Sciences Complete Clinical Milestone for Depression Treatment
    Ionis, Roche Partner on RNA-targeted Programs for AD and HD
    Beauty Packaging

    Latest Breaking News From Beauty Packaging

    YSL Beauty Taps Finn Wolfhard, Lil Yachty & More for Fragrance Campaign
    74% of Makeup Users Open to Affordable ‘Dupes,’ Mintel Says
    Stoelzle Glass Group Names New CEO
    Happi

    Latest Breaking News From Happi

    Christian Siriano Appointed Olay’s First Chief Drop Officer
    The Estée Lauder Companies Launches 2023 Breast Cancer Campaign
    BASF Personal Care Introduces New Cosmetic Ingredient
    Ink World

    Latest Breaking News From Ink World

    Siegwerk’s Climate Targets Validated by SBTi
    ROSS Offering Cost-Effective, Expertly Reconditioned Equipment
    Amcor plc Adds Lucrèce Foufopoulos-De Ridder to Board of Directors
    Label & Narrow Web

    Latest Breaking News From Label & Narrow Web

    SABIC and partners launch bio-based IML solution for food packaging
    tesa completes expansion of Michigan manufacturing facility
    Comexi and Asahi to host 'Effortless Platemaking' event
    Nonwovens Industry

    Latest Breaking News From Nonwovens Industry

    Greentech Introduces Air Filter with Advanced Odor Elimination
    Ontex Divests Pakistan Operations to ASAIA Holding
    Goodnites Bedwetting Underwear Recognized by Good Housekeeping
    Orthopedic Design & Technology

    Latest Breaking News From Orthopedic Design & Technology

    Lazurite Adds Benchmark Medical as a Distributor for its ArthroFree Wireless Camera System
    ChitogenX Granted New U.S., Canadian ORTHO-R Patent
    Centinel Spine prodisc System Surpasses 2,500-Implant Milestone
    Printed Electronics Now

    Latest Breaking News From Printed Electronics Now

    Jabil Posts Fourth Quarter, Fiscal Year 2023 Results
    Ink-Borne ‘Chiplets’ Could Lead to Printable Displays, Electronics and More
    SCHOTT Strengthens Glass Substrate Portfolio

    Copyright © 2023 Rodman Media. All rights reserved. Use of this constitutes acceptance of our privacy policy The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Rodman Media.

    AD BLOCKER DETECTED

    Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
    Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.


    FREE SUBSCRIPTION Already a subscriber? Login