Intuitive Surgical Stock Remains Suppressed, Despite Procedure Growth

Worldwide medtech sales totaled $8.5bn in Q2, up 6.1%. Sales grew 8% in the US and 4.1% outside the US. Cardiovascular, surgery and vision were the primary growth drivers. Acquisitions and divestitures had net positive impact of 200 basis points, largely due to the acquisition of Shockwave Medical.

A deep-learning AI-based retinal image scanning tool can predict the risk of cardiovascular events over a 10-year period with 70% accuracy. The test is comparable to routine GP health checks, researchers from the University of Dundee have shown.

US Medicare has proposed national coverage of renal denervation for patients with uncontrolled hypertension. The treatment is seeing other advances as well, with Medtronic piloting a longer catheter and a multi-organ approach and a blood test to identify the best candidates fresh on the

The pulsed-field ablation market is surging, with the UK NHS opening doors and FDA updates for major players. Medtech Insight spoke with Steven Mickelsen, founder of Farapulse (the first clinically approved PFA system), about the sector's growth and his new venture, Field Medical.