Edwards Lifesciences, the world’s largest heart valve replacement manufacturer, continued to impress industrial and financial analysts after it reported another great earnings report earlier this week.

The company, based in Irvine, California, saw its profits more than double thanks to rising sales of replacement heart valves - including its new valve, known as the Edwards SAPIEN Valve.

The company now expects sales of the SAPIEN devices, also known as transcatheter heart valve replacements, to more than double to $110 million this year. These devices are currently on sale in Europe, and reports suggest that Edwards could get FDA-approval in the United States during the next few years.

FYI, earlier this week, I spoke with one of the heart surgeons who is currently working on the SAPIEN clinical trial, known as the PARTNER trial. His excitement specific to this new technology was overwhelming.

The SAPIEN valve can be threaded into place with a catheter in the femoral artery or delivered through an incision between the ribs. The valves are seen as an option for patients who are too sick or frail to withstand traditional heart surgery.

Edwards competes against Medtronic in Europe but believes it has a long head start in the race to the United States market. (You might recall that Medtronic recently acquired CoreValve to address this growing segment the heart valve market.)

Ultimately, these less invasive technologies provide several patient benefits including reduced physical trauma, shorter hospital stays and accelerated recoveries.

Keep on tickin!

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