NEWS RELEASE: Zeus to launch next-gen film-cast PTFE liners engineered for flexibility and superior strength Unveiling at MD&M West, the new StreamLiner NG catheter liners minimize defects and maximize performance versus existing film-cast PTFE liners. Orangeburg, S.C. – Zeus, a global leader in advanced polymer solutions and catheter … [Read more...] about Zeus to launch next-gen film-cast PTFE catheter liners
Advanced Materials
Bioabsorbable polymers for implantable medical devices: What to know
Bioabsorbable polymers are used for an expanding range of medical devices.
Bioabsorbable polymers degrade and disappear at predictable rates, making them an ideal material for parts of implantable devices that could otherwise impair healing or create an ongoing risk of injury or infection.
Bioabsorbable sutures made of glycolide/lactide polymers, first developed in the 1970s, are strong and flexible enough to hold … [Read more...] about Bioabsorbable polymers for implantable medical devices: What to know
Nitinol grips prevent slips in Abbott’s heart valve clips
Nitinol is a key material in the heart valve clips that Abbott designed for its TriClip and MitraClip transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) systems. Abbott designed the TriClip system (approved by the FDA in April 2024) for reducing tricuspid valve regurgitation using fourth-generation heart valve clips that Abbott originally developed for … [Read more...] about Nitinol grips prevent slips in Abbott’s heart valve clips
Medical nitinol processing: How NiTi is turned into wire, tubes and sheets for medical devices
Medical nitinol processing transforms raw nickel-titanium alloy into wire, coils, tubes and sheets for medical and dental device manufacturers. We previously covered nitinol's journey from the earth's crust through high-temperature melting crucibles and forging operations to create nitinol ingots and then smaller, more workable shapes such as … [Read more...] about Medical nitinol processing: How NiTi is turned into wire, tubes and sheets for medical devices
After recall and relaunch, Medtronic wants to go global with its catheter-delivered Harmony valve
Each Medtronic Harmony valve is sewn by hand to attach laser-cut pig tissue to the nitinol that makes this minimally invasive heart implant possible. Medtronic’s Harmony transcatheter pulmonary valve (TPV) design is paying off after engineers solved a delivery catheter recall and relaunched the system this year. The Harmony TPV uses pig tissue, … [Read more...] about After recall and relaunch, Medtronic wants to go global with its catheter-delivered Harmony valve
How Medtronic uses nitinol to improve the structure and effectiveness of heart devices
Tim Laske, VP of research and business development for Medtronic‘s cardiac ablation solutions business, discusses the challenges of designing devices for the heart and explores the properties of nitinol. The heart is often one of the most underappreciated aspects of human anatomy, and its atrial appendages are often overlooked even in cardiac … [Read more...] about How Medtronic uses nitinol to improve the structure and effectiveness of heart devices
Why Affera’s cardiac ablation technology is worth $1B to Medtronic
Affera started in 2014 with a simple goal that paid off when Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) bought the company for up to $1 billion this year. Achieving that goal, however, took some unconventional and sometimes difficult design choices, Affera founder and CEO Doron Harlev said. Newton, Massachusetts–based Affera's system diagnoses, maps and treats … [Read more...] about Why Affera’s cardiac ablation technology is worth $1B to Medtronic
Abbott sees the delivery system as a differentiator for its TAVR
A top Abbott executive explains how the company's FlexNav delivery system could make the Portico TAVR competitive. Abbott is aiming to claw away market share from transcatheter aortic valve replacement pioneers Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic. The Abbott Park, Illinois–based medtech company in September announced FDA approval of its Portico … [Read more...] about Abbott sees the delivery system as a differentiator for its TAVR
How a future-minded medtech engineer finds inspiration, innovation and creativity
The future of medtech is the focus of TE Connectivity’s Advanced Technology Group, a team of experienced engineers tasked with identifying trends and developing new technology for devices and challenges that might not yet even exist. Marie Ottum, principal R&D engineer in TE Connectivity’s Advanced Technology Group and global leader of the … [Read more...] about How a future-minded medtech engineer finds inspiration, innovation and creativity
Schott expands Chinese glass tubing plant
Schott recently announced that it has completed the next expansion stage at its pharmaceutical glass tubing site in Jinyun, China. The company completed construction at the site in just 15 months despite the COVID-19 pandemic, with production starting in November 2020. The plant is meant to create a solid production base for high-quality … [Read more...] about Schott expands Chinese glass tubing plant