Medtronic’s (NYSE:MDT) surgical technologies segment received a boost as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Aquamantys 3 System, a tool made possible by the company’s acquisition of Salient Surgical Solutions earlier this year.Aquamantys uses radiofrequency energy and saline to reduce blood loss and stop bleeding during surgery. It also includes a tool [...]

Here’s how you quantify the power of a viral video. More than 7.7 million views = a 150 percent jump in sales inquiries for the hearing aide company Envoy Medical.Sixteen days ago 29-year-old Sarah Churman posted a video of herself hearing her voice loud and clear for the first time after being implanted with Envoy [...]

Global medical device company St. Jude Medical announced the launch of the newest version of its Merlin.net Patient Care Network (PCN). The network organizes information about patient heart rhythms, device therapy and device performance, which is captured in implantable cardiac devices. It also allows the data to be sent directly to a clinic or hospital’s [...]

Two-decade market veteran Bret Jensen believes that it’s important to look for stocks with “solid dividends, low valuations and good growth prospects”– and Medtronic is his latest selection.Medtronic’s growth rate has been 9.2 percent over the past five years, though it has recently slowed due to fewer medical procedures and a sluggish economy. However, Medtronic [...]

Former Medtronic CEO Bill Hawkins has landed at blood screening and equipment company Immucor.Hawkins spent three years leading Medtronic. He was originally expected to retire from the company in April 2011, but postponed his retirement while the company’s board of directors sought a successor. Former GE Healthcare Systems CEO Omar Ishrak took Hawkins’ place [...]

St. Paul, Minnesota-based medical device company NxThera, Inc. has raised $21.6 million in series B equity financing, the company announced today. (A percentage of the money raised will be funded after certain milestones are met.)Funds raised will be used to obtain European CE Mark approval and U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance for a clinical [...]

Plymouth, Minnesota-based medical device company Interrad Medical Inc. has raised $10 million to commercialize its non-adhesive, suture-less catheter securing device.The Series C funding was raised exclusively from angel investors through RBC Wealth Management Group in collaboration with RBC Capital Markets, the company announced today.Interrad Medical hopes to continue to develop and commercialize the SecurAcath Universal [...]

A handheld medical device that aspires to translate medical conditions from any patient to their physicians will ramp up production this year.GeaCom’s Phrazer will go from 300 units in the market to as many as 10,000 by the end of the year, CEO and founder Mathew Johnson said. The company projects that 40,000 units will [...]

Sunshine Heart’s cardiac medical device, the C-Pulse, has shown promise in a clinical trial, and the company plans to apply for pre-market approval sometime in the fourth quarter.The C-Pulse system uses balloon counter-pulsation technology to reduce the workload of the heart’s left ventricle, relieving heart failure symptoms. The product is similar to a pacemaker in [...]

Minnetonka-based health insurer UnitedHealth Group is making discounted hearing aids available for only $749-$949 per ear, a savings of anywhere from $500 to $4500 per set.The discounted hearing aids will also be available online for those without UnitedHealth insurance.The hearing aids are programmed according to a hearing test which can be taken online. The test [...]