Since my own heart valve surgery, writing my book and launching this website, I have developed a huuuuuuuge interest in companies that develop, market and sell heart valve devices and medical equipment.

Ultimately, I believe their actions and announcements illustrate the surgical trends which directly impact patients with heart valve disease. So, for this reason, I constantly monitor companies like Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, St. Jude Medical and Intuitive Surgical to learn more about heart valve repair and heart valve replacement technologies. I then pass along that information to you here in this blog.

Earlier this week, Edwards Lifesciences, the largest heart valve replacement manufacturer in the world, released very strong quarterly earnings. However, beyond the financial numbers, the company made several comments about SAPIEN, Edwards’ minimally invasive heart valve replacement technology ^[1] (see the video above) that I found interesting.

While commercially available in Europe, the SAPIEN is in F.D.A. trials here in the US. Some reports suggest that the technology, used for aortic and pulmonary valve replacements, could be F.D.A. approved in the next few years. According to The Wall Street Journal, the SAPIEN is viewed as an option for patients who are too sick or too old to withstand traditional heart surgery.

Mike Mussallem – Edwards’ Chief Executive Officer

Additional highlights about the SAPIEN released during the analyst conference call were:

• Mike Mussallem, Edwards CEO, noted that the company is on track to exceed its goal of doubling the number of transcatheter-valve procedures this year.
• The company posted $26.5 million in transcatheter-valve sales in the recent quarter and is on track to reach $100 million in sales this year.

Needless to say, Edwards’ report further showed its ongoing strength in, and commitment to, the minimally invasive heart valve replacement market. However, there have been recent, strategic moves by incumbents (including Medtronic) and start-ups to capture share in this growing niche of the heart valve replacement industry.

Keep on tickin!

P.S. To leave a comment, please click here ^[2].

About The Author: Adam Pick ^[3] is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. This unique book integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of 78 former valve surgery patients to help patients and caregivers better understand the problems, the opportunities and the realities of heart valve surgery. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here ^[4]