Medtronic studies highlight benefits of CoreValve System

Medtronic has announced data from new studies that underline the broad-based benefits its CoreValve System can offer in the treatment of heart patients.

The first of these studies of the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) solution was an economic analysis using data from the CoreValve US pivotal study of high-risk patients.

It demonstrated the cost-effectiveness advantages of the self-expanding valve, which were driven by quality of life benefits and superior one-year survival rates compared to surgical aortic valve replacement techniques.

Meanwhile, two-year results from 305 patients treated with the CoreValve System in an extreme risk study of the pivotal trial showed the device provided safe and effective treatment for patients considered too ill or frail for traditional open-heart surgery, while maintaining exceptional rates of survival.

Dr Matthew Reynolds of Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Massachusetts, said: "It's encouraging to see that for patients at high risk for surgery, TAVR with the CoreValve System provides a greater chance for a longer and higher quality of life … at a reasonable cost."