Medtronic Strengthens Hand in Ablation Market with CryoCath Acquisition

Competitors in the cardiac rhythm management space are drawing new battlelines in the area of atrial ablation. Medtronic's acquisition of CryoCath pits it against historical rivals St. Jude and Boston Scientific.

The cardiac ablation market—particularly for atrial fibrillation—is shaping into a potential battleground between the same factions who once dominated and then suffered through the troubled cardiac rhythm management (CRM) space. This time, Medtronic PLC anted up with its $400 million bid to acquire Medtronic CryoCath LP, a company developing a cryoablation method to treat common, yet debilitating, cardiac arrhythmias. (See "AF Ablation: The Pulse of Innovation," Medtech Insight, September 2008 Also see "AF Ablation: The Pulse of Innovation " - Medtech Insight, 1 September, 2008..) [See Deal]

The acquisition, if approved, tightens Medtronic’s competition with other CRM companies including Boston Scientific Corp., which augmented its own cardiac ablation offerings with the acquisition of CryoCor Inc.,...

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