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.,...