Obtaining health insurance is a must for everyone. It doesn’t matter what age you are, or if you’re born in the United States or not; people all over the world need to make sure they have adequate coverage and protection against medical expenses. In this post, we’ll detail how to get health insurance and why it’s so important. Let’s get to the details below.

What Is Health Insurance, And What Does It Cover?

Health insurance is a form of financial protection that protects you against rising medical expenses. This means if you get sick or injured, your health insurer will compensate the covered costs to make sure they do not go over budget for you. There are different types out there, but typically it’s divided into two categories: private and public coverage options. Your state or the federal government generally provides the latter, typically for those with a lower income. In terms of options, you can choose between plans with higher deductibles if you want to save money on monthly premiums and private insurers where coverage is provided at low prices but with high deductible rates.

In general, health insurance covers services such as doctor’s visits, hospital stays, blood work, and diagnostics tests, medical equipment (such as wheelchairs or crutches), ambulance services, and more. You can choose different coverage options that fit your lifestyle best so you’re covered for everything that might happen to you in the future.

How To Get Health Insurance

There are different ways to get health insurance coverage, depending on your situation. If you’re a student, looking for work, or have an offer from an employer, it’s typically easier since they can provide this type of coverage with their plans. You can also make changes to your current Medicare coverage if the current one is not working for you. This ensures that you have a cover for everything that might happen to you in the future.

You can also get health insurance if you’re not getting it through an employer or your parents; this is known as private coverage, and there are many plans out there for people of all ages. It would be best if you took some time to research what suits you best before choosing a plan but make sure whatever option you choose is affordable.

If there’s no coverage for you anywhere else, the last thing you can do is to look into government-sponsored plans such as Medicaid or Medicare since they are low-cost options that offer adequate coverage when needed.

Why You Need Health Insurance

Medical expenses can go up to the tens of thousands very quickly; it all depends on what you need and for how long. With health insurance, you’ll be covered if anything terrible happens, so your wallet won’t take a huge hit.

These days major surgeries cost around $50,000, and this goes easily with other medical costs such as equipment or tests. Even if you choose to go with a lower deductible plan, the money saved each month will be well worth it if anything bad happens.

Take some time and think about what type of coverage best suits your lifestyle so you can get the most out of health insurance while still saving on monthly premiums at the same time!

The Pros Of Having Health Insurance

Having health insurance is extremely important since it helps to protect you from unexpected expenses and makes sure medical needs are covered. If anything happens, this type of coverage will help make the process simple and effective so that your overall health isn’t compromised by high costs or long processes.

The Cons Of Not Having Healthcare Coverage

You can’t just ignore having health insurance since this type of coverage is needed to protect you, especially pre-existing conditions; if nothing bad happens and you don’t get sick or injured, it’s still important to have a plan in case anything does happen. This ensures that medical needs are covered no matter the circumstances, so you don’t need to worry about the costs.

Even though it’s not common for this to happen, many people have had serious health issues and weren’t covered because they didn’t have a plan in place beforehand. If you’re considering getting insurance now but want to save money on monthly premiums, consider opting for high deductible plans.

In conclusion, having health insurance is extremely important, and it’s a good idea to have one even if you’re healthy. Make sure whatever coverage option you choose offers adequate coverage, so your medical needs are always met no matter what. If something does happen, the process will be simple and effective so that your overall wellbeing isn’t compromised by other issues such as high costs or long wait times. Follow this guide and ensure that you get the most out of health insurance.

Dental implants are absolutely worth the money because they can last your entire life if you properly take care of them! Even though dental implants cost more than fillings or dentures, you will save yourself a lot of time and money in the long run. Dental implants are devices surgically placed into the jawbone to act as replacement teeth. They are also called endosseous implants or screw-type implants. Dental implants are typically made out of titanium, which is a strong metal that will not wear down over time like traditional dentures or fillings.

More importantly, they are replacement systems that provide a permanent, more comfortable, and natural-looking solution to missing teeth. These implant-supported restorations not only look like your natural teeth, but the way they work and feel will be as close as possible to what you had before. Here are some valid reasons why dental implants are a worthy investment.

They’re Permanent

Dental implants are made from a titanium alloy that becomes a permanent part of your skeleton when it is surgically placed into the bone in your jaw. This makes them an extremely stable and secure solution to replace teeth, especially since they attach themselves directly to your jaw’s bone.

They Can Enhance Your Facial Symmetry

Missing teeth can affect your facial symmetry (the way your face naturally lines up when you smile, laugh, etc.). If you visit The Meredith Clinic the specialist prosthodontist will explain to you how dental implants will provide a more balanced appearance by replacing the adjacent tooth. Not only this, but they will also add to your overall oral health becoming part of everyday routines such as brushing and flossing so they’ll always look great!

They Can Be Easily Hidden

Natural-looking restorations result in you looking like yourself – just with whiter, straighter, and healthier-looking teeth! Dental implants function similarly to natural teeth by snapping firmly into place around the gum line. Veneers or crowns will cover over the implant top ensuring no one knows you have any dental work done unless you tell them! The great thing about having dental implants is that you will never have to worry about how your dentures look. Your new teeth will always look great no matter what!

They Are Easy To Fix 

When you are thinking about having dental implants it is important to remember that they need to be maintained just like natural teeth. This means brushing and flossing around the implants 2-3 times a day for at least two minutes each time! To find out if dental implants are right for you, schedule an appointment or speak to a dentist if you have any oral concerns about having them fixed. Dental implants give you great benefits but you will still need to care for them regularly to keep them clean and healthy.

They’re Comfortable And Can Be Easily Cleaned

Your natural teeth are securely anchored into the jawbones by periodontal ligaments, making them firm and very stable. Implants work in exactly the same way since they attach themselves directly onto the jaw’s bone. Your natural teeth are easy to brush and floss because they are firmly fastened into your gums by periodontal ligaments which makes it just as easy to do with implant-supported restorations! It’s important to keep these areas clean to prevent bacteria from building up and creating further problems.

They Reduce Bone Loss As We Age

When teeth are missing, the jaw’s alveolar bone (the bony socket) starts to resorb (be absorbed by the body). This is why you may find that the gap left by a missing tooth becomes smaller and smaller over time. Dental implants help avoid this since they attach directly onto the jawbone, stimulating it and preventing loss of bone structure often associated with aging.

They Protect Your Natural Teeth

Although dental implants are very strong and stable, surrounding teeth can still benefit from their supportive structure since chewing forces will now be distributed more evenly across the jawbone. This will support your natural teeth preventing excessive wear or fracturing, allowing them to last much longer.

They Give You A Great Smile

A smile can go a long way when you want to make a good impression. If you have been using traditional dentures, it will be difficult to achieve the ‘perfect smile to give the best first impression in every social situation. Dental implants are a great solution because they help keep your natural teeth safe while looking amazing! Even though dental implants may look bigger than your natural teeth, they actually create a more balanced and consistent smile which is usually well-accepted in any society.

Having teeth is very important, especially in today’s society where we value a smile and healthy white teeth. As long as you brush and floss regularly to maintain good oral hygiene,  your dental implants can last for the rest of your life! Regular checkups with the dentist every 6 months are recommended so that they can examine whether there are any signs of deterioration in the bone structure that would require a replacement implant.

It’s not uncommon to be bitten by a dog. A bite can be both painful and frightening, but don’t panic! It’s important to know the correct way of handling the situation if you do get bitten by a dog. There are many things you should do post-bite that will help lessen the chance of infection and even save your arm or leg from being amputated! And what’s even more important, we’ll cover the legal implications of getting bitten by a dog.

When You Need a Lawyer

If you have been bitten in a public place or by someone’s dog, a lawyer will help you get compensated for your injury. If you are in Douglasville, you will want to hire a dog bite lawyer in Douglasville because it’s more convenient to get a local lawyer. After getting treated at the hospital and hiring a lawyer, go online and find out if there were any reports about the dog who bit you. If so, contact the prosecuting attorney in your area to ask them what charges or restitution you can expect to be filing against the owner of said dog.

You may also want to bring this information to your lawyer’s attention so they can take appropriate actions on your behalf when dealing with insurance companies and even potential lawsuits. If you are attacked by a dog, seek medical attention immediately. It is extremely important to get treatment for the bite wound as soon as possible because infections could develop if it’s not taken care of properly. However, don’t let that scare you away from taking the necessary steps that will help prevent infection!

Why a Dog Bit You

A dog can bite for many different reasons. When a dog is put in a situation where they feel pain, shock, or fear, they may resort to biting you. If you are being attacked by an owner’s pit bull and the owner has no control of their own pet, there’s nothing they can do about it short of getting massacred themselves! There are some cases where dogs get old and go crazy (medical reasons), but don’t worry; this is not common at all. If your dog bites someone out of medical reason and the victim sues you for damages, any judge would take into account that the injury was not intentional on your part. It’s more likely that owners who train and raise their pets well will be sued if their dog decides to bite someone else.

Allergies are also common reasons for dogs to give their owners bites. It’s not always the owner’s fault when this happens, either! If your pet is trained well enough and gets startled or in pain (like if they’re having an allergic reaction), they may attack you. So remember, training your pup isn’t just about teaching them manners but how to react in certain situations!

After You’ve Been Bitten by a Dog

No matter what type of breed the dog who bit you was, it’s important that you get medical attention immediately after getting hurt. Many infection types can be transferred via a dog bite wound including rabies, tetanus, MRSA, Lyme Disease, and many others. If getting treated isn’t an option for you right away because you need to contact a lawyer, get medical attention as soon as possible.

Examine the Extent of Injury

Make sure you don’t miss any of the puncture wounds. A dog bite can literally do thousands of dollars in damage in just one attack, so you need to be thorough when examining your wound.

Clean the Wound

You must take a shower and clean the wound thoroughly after getting bitten. Dogs have unique bacteria in their mouths that may cause infection if not cleaned out correctly. If you get attacked by a stray or feral dog, make sure to get medical attention immediately afterward! The last thing you want is for the bacteria from a wild animal’s mouth to enter your system and wreak havoc there too. Also, if your arm or leg gets broken due to this injury, see your lawyer right away because they may take you to court and sue for damages! Dogs love to give their owners a scare, but you can take measures after being bitten so that it doesn’t get out of hand.

If you are attacked by any dog, GET MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY. But even if you do this, don’t be surprised if the owner of the dog wants to take you to court over the bite wound! That’s why you must hire a dog bite lawyer right away because they know what they’re doing.

Get Real Health, a member of the CPSI family of companies and a provider of comprehensive patient engagement tools, has expanded its international presence through an implementation in the region of Achterhoek, Netherlands, together with local partners MIJNPGO and WeDoTrust.

This implementation is meant to support the region’s ambition to become the healthiest region in the Netherlands by 2030. To that end, the project will have timed implementations and deployments aimed at improving healthcare across all demographics.

The Achterhoek solution is based on Get Real Health’s existing platform, and is customized for the region’s needs and called “MIJNPGO.” This customization effort includes ensuring compliance with Medmij, the technology standard across the Netherlands, which requires the secure exchange of data between care providers and patients. The initial pilot served a select cohort of care organizations including Sensire, the largest elderly care organization in the region. An expanded roll-out will utilize feedback and aim at improving the user experience over time.

“We are thrilled to participate in this important initiative. Our platform perfectly aligns with the mission of Achterhoek with respect to improved healthcare delivery and patient care outcomes both today and into the future,” said Robin Wiener, president of Get Real Health.

“In the Dutch region of Achterhoek, we are constantly working on adding more professional applications of modern technology in healthcare, together with other healthcare organizations and partners,” said Maarten van Rixtel, chief executive officer of Sensire, the largest elderly care organization in the region. “With MIJNPGO, the patients gain more insight into their own health. In addition, patients can share information with healthcare workers or caregivers. MIJNPGO therefore gives patients much more control over their own care and treatment process. This creates equal discussions and certain decisions can be made jointly. For us, MIJNPGO is one of the fundamental bases of healthcare for the future. We are looking forward to the moment when MIJNPGO will be used by many patients.”

Following the initial launch of the pilot in 2020, Get Real Health expanded the release of the platform at the end of August 2021, along with a website design refresh and portal upgrade to improve patient outcomes, enhance health, and implement a more engaging platform to the overall user base.

Through similar deployments in Canada, New Zealand, the Middle East and the United Kingdom, Get Real Health has established itself as an international presence in the patient engagement arena. “We see patient engagement as a global issue, and we develop applications with that philosophy in mind,” explained Wiener. “Our platform is flexible and scalable to serve individuals worldwide.”

About Get Real Health

Get Real Health, a member of the CPSI family of companies, combines a world of new information from patients, devices and apps with existing clinical data to help individuals and healthcare professionals engage and empower each other. By giving providers and patients the information and tools that they need to work together, we help our customers meet their ever-changing patient engagement needs. Our suite of products helps deliver value-based care, improve outcomes, activate patients, and increase patient loyalty and satisfaction, all while meeting regulatory requirements.

About WeDoTrust

WeDoTrust is a consultancy and audit company. They assist healthcare institutions, among other things, in drawing up a realistic digital change agenda based on their strategy and financial possibilities. In doing so, they take into account the strength of the organization, market demand and the (im)possibilities of technology.

Happify Health, a global leader in digital therapeutics for anxiety and depression, announced plans to distribute its library of digital therapeutics, including Ensemble, the first and only transdiagnostic prescription digital therapeutic engineered to treat Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), through Microsoft Azure.

“We’ve accelerated our integration into Microsoft Azure to address the global mental health epidemic that is being fueled by COVID-19,” said Murray Zucker, MD, Happify Health’s Chief Medical Officer. “We’re in a mental health crisis that can only be addressed through the global distribution of personalized, clinical-grade mental health services.”

“Over the past decade, Happify has invested over $100 million to optimize the delivery of clinical-grade AI-enabled, digital therapeutics that address both mental health and chronic conditions,” said Chris Wasden, Head of Pharma Specialty Solutions and Corporate Strategy, Happify Health. “The Microsoft Azure stack will help Happify scale the global distribution of our library of prescription digital therapeutics like Ensemble, and digital therapeutics like Heart & Mind, the digital therapeutic we’ve developed with the American Heart Association.”

Tom McGuinness, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Global Healthcare, said this tech-first approach will be the key to healthcare in the future.

“Digital therapeutics will be a driver in supporting access to clinical health care over the next decade,” McGuinness said. “We are pleased to support Happify with Microsoft Azure, with our capabilities in data analytics, privacy and security, and machine learning.”

The Global Healthcare Epidemic

The number of adults with anxiety or depression increased four-hundred percent in the sixteen months following the Covid-related lockdowns, according to Kaiser Family Foundation (source). The butterfly effect of these increases in anxiety and depression will be a global increase in chronic illness, including heart-disease-related deaths – people diagnosed with depression are up to five-times more likely to die within six months of having had a heart attack (source) than those without depression.

A 2018 Merritt Hawkins report found that the United States had only sixty percent (60%) of the psychiatrists needed to provide good mental health care (source), and that sixty percent (60%) of US counties had no practicing psychiatrists. An August 2020 survey conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), 130 countries across WHO’s six regions found widespread disruption of critical mental health services, with over 60% reporting disruptions to mental health services for vulnerable people, including children and adolescents (72%), older adults (70%), and women requiring antenatal or postnatal services (61%).

The expansion of telehealth services only increases the demand for licensed practitioners that are already in short supply. The absence of a digital, clinical grade, stepped care approach to mental health makes it impossible for providers and payers to quickly assess a patient’s need and triage them into the appropriate level of mental health care.

The Global, Clinical-Grade, Intelligent Healing Platform

Happify Health’s global, clinical health platform uses our patented artificial intelligence to deliver digital therapeutics that combine video gaming principles, and clinical multimedia content. Our combination of global digital therapies and prescription digital therapeutics hold the promise of helping physicians and patients make changes in behavior that improve their physical and mental health. Happify Health’s AI-driven, digital therapeutics are available in 10 languages and are deployed globally, in 150 countries.

Every global employer that wants to protect and support their workforce from the anxiety and depression epidemic that’s gripping the planet will benefit from access to Happify Health’s digital therapeutics library through Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare & Azure.

“The only way to address the global mental health crisis in a sustainable way is to clinically diagnose and treat people at scale, using automation in a fully-compliant and secure environment that is integrated into the provider and payer’s systems of record,” said Andy Palan, Happify Health’s Chief Information Officer. “Happify Heath has already partnered with 7 of the world’s largest biopharma companies to deliver a portfolio of clinical interventions in 10 languages across 150 countries. Working with the Microsoft Healthcare Cloud & Microsoft Azure team gives Happify Health the global reach we need to help billions of people worldwide.”

About Happify Health:

Happify Health is a global software-enabled healthcare platform. We design and deploy software to help improve mental health, physical health and well-being. We are creating a future where better health outcomes can be powered by technology—leading to more personalized care that can improve the everyday lives of more people. The Happify Health platform offers a full spectrum of science-backed Digital Therapy and Care Journey solutions for customers and individual end-users; including Wellness, AI-based Coaching, Community, as well as Combination and Prescription Digital Therapeutics.

Our patient solutions are disseminated through unified products and services we deploy for the healthcare ecosystem; including enterprises, health plans, health systems, pharma and medical device manufacturers. Our global platform is available in 10 languages, supports more than 10 chronic conditions, and covers more than 20 million lives. For more information, visit www.happifyhealth.com.

Medtronic plc, the global leader in medical technology, announced a pilot program with Mpirik to address disparities in care associated with the prevention of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. SCA is caused by a disturbance in the heart’s electrical system, and can be deadly if not treated by defibrillation within minutes.

Globally, cardiac arrest claims more lives than colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, influenza, pneumonia, auto accidents, HIV, firearms, and house fires combined.1 Proven treatment options include implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) or cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillators (CRT-Ds), established therapies that have been in use for more than 30 years. However, Medtronic-sponsored research has shown that patients who are medically indicated for these implantable heart devices often do not receive them. Recent studies have shown treatment disparities tied to gender and race: women and men of color, along with white women, receive devices at lower rates than white men.2

The Medtronic collaboration with Mpirik also involves Vizient, a health care performance improvement organization that provides data and analytic insights. This pilot program aims to identify patients at higher risk for SCA, and identify them earlier in their care journey. Mpirik’s proprietary artificial intelligence platform, Cardiac Intelligence®, will screen electronic health records (EHRs) data at five pilot hospitals, including three Vizient member hospitals, to spot patients, regardless of race or gender, who meet prespecified clinical criteria for being at risk of SCA. Mpirik will provide an automated alert through the EHR system for these patients, enabling clinicians to determine appropriate follow-up care. The identification process will continue to protect patient health information, none of which will be shared with Medtronic or Vizient.

“This pilot program offers an innovative and scalable method to use real-world clinical data – and more sophisticated approaches than traditional manual chart reviews – enabling earlier, appropriate care for at-risk patients, while also improving quality and reducing potential disparities,” said Kweli P. Thompson, M.D., MPH, general manager of Defibrillation Solutions within the Cardiac Rhythm Management business, which is part of the Cardiovascular Portfolio at Medtronic. “This exciting technology provides the ability to improve care pathways, digitize population health management and collect a robust set of data to leverage for publications.”

“Collaborating with both Medtronic and Vizient in this pilot offers at-risk patients a best-of-breed program for improving outcomes through timely referral,” said Logan Brigman, CEO at Mpirik. “Ensuring adherence to a care pathway, assessing personalized disease progression and screening potential cardiac disease, without differentiation for gender or race, are complex issues that our machine learning and natural language processing help to solve.”

“Collectively our organizations are aligning around a program using AI to quickly identify at-risk patients based on multiple clinical factors,” said Doug Beinborn, associate principal at Vizient. “Our progress will lead to opportunities to enhance patient care in sudden cardiac arrest at these member organizations.”

ICDs deliver lifesaving shocks or painless pacing to stop life-threatening fast or irregular heartbeats that can lead to SCA. Cardiac resynchronization therapy is a treatment for heart failure that uses an implantable CRT device to improve the pumping efficiency of the heart; the device can be a CRT-pacemaker (CRT-P) or CRT-defibrillator (CRT-D). Typically, these devices are implanted by electrophysiologists, cardiologists who specialize in identifying and treating heart rhythm disorders, after patients are referred by general practitioners or general cardiologists.

Medtronic Structural Heart and Mpirik Pilot Program
Medtronic also is collaborating with hospitals in four U.S. cities to develop and implement solutions that address racial and ethnic disparities in the treatment of aortic stenosis, a common heart valve disease. The pilot program uses Mpirik Cardiac Intelligence® to identify and manage patients in the hospital system who may need additional follow up. Once complete, the pilot program will quantify the impact with insights and key learnings that can be applied in other markets to address disparities of care.

In collaboration with leading clinicians, researchers and scientists worldwide, Medtronic offers the broadest range of innovative medical technology for the interventional and surgical treatment of cardiovascular disease and cardiac arrhythmias. The company strives to offer products and services of the highest quality that deliver clinical and economic value to healthcare consumers and providers around the world.

About Vizient
Vizient, Inc. provides solutions and services that improve the delivery of high-value care by aligning cost, quality and market performance for more than 50% of the nation’s acute care providers, which includes 97% of the nation’s academic medical centers, and more than 20% of ambulatory providers. Vizient provides expertise, analytics and advisory services, as well as a contract portfolio that represents more than $110 billion in annual member purchasing volume, to improve patient outcomes and lower costs. In 2021, Vizient acquired Intalere, which expanded its footprint with ambulatory and rural acute care providers. Vizient has earned a World’s Most Ethical Company designation from the Ethisphere Institute every year since its inception. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Vizient has offices throughout the United States.

About Mpirik
Mpirik, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., provides a suite of software including cloud-based, automated patient screening and care pathway management for cardiovascular disease, patient communication, and data collection/analysis platform. We enable health care professionals to make informed decisions to give the right care at the right time.

About Medtronic
Medtronic plc, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is among the world’s largest medical technology, services, and solutions companies – alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 90,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals and patients in more than 150 countries. The company is focused on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take healthcare Further, Together.

A new trade association for COVID testing companies and laboratories will launch today. The body, the Laboratory and Testing Industry Organisation (LTIO), will represent and self-regulate providers who can demonstrate they can provide trustworthy testing services to businesses and the general public. The LTIO will establish a new kitemark to ensure that member companies meet the highest standards of quality and customer service

Membership of the LTIO is open only to those providers that accept a Code of Conduct based on the recent Competition and Markets Authority letter sent to all Covid-testing providers. In addition, membership will be open only to organisations that score 3.5 or above on the independent Trustpilot rating website.

In a joint statement, the eight Founder Members of the organisation explained the rationale for establishing the new body:

“We have been increasingly concerned by reports of exploitative pricing and poor performance by some COVID-19 testing providers. We strongly support the actions by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and the Competition and Markets Authority to ensure that the public receive their test results in a timely manner and with transparent pricing. We believe that it is right for the industry itself to take action to deliver the testing standards that the public deserve during the pandemic.”

The founding members of the LTIO have agreed to an independently-enforced, rigorous Code of Conduct, binding on all members, and built on the recent CMA guidance. Within the next three months, the body will create a gold standard accreditation process and kitemark to provide consumer certainty. It will work with the Government to ensure that the UK industry has the world’s highest ethical and professional standards. Other providers will be invited to join provided they can demonstrate that they meet the criteria for membership

The LTIO has an Advisory Board composed of its eight founding members and an executive led by a non-industry Director.

Francis Ingham, the Independent Director of the LTIO, stated:

“The laboratory and testing industry has an important part to play in helping Britain navigate successfully through the pandemic. This new professional body is designed to set, enforce, and raise the standards of service for our customers.

“By establishing a gold standard kitemark and an independently-enforced Code of Conduct, we believe we can raise the standards across the industry. The public has a right to expect testing companies to provide accurate, timely and competitively priced services – and that is what the LTIO aims to achieve.”

Abbott announced that the U.S. FDA has approved the company’s Portico™ with FlexNav™ transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) system to treat people with symptomatic, severe aortic stenosis who are at high or extreme risk for open-heart surgery. With this latest TAVR (also referred to as TAVI, or transcatheter aortic valve implantation) advancement, Abbott continues to offer the industry’s leading portfolio of structural heart solutions that include innovative, minimally invasive therapies to repair or replace diseased or damaged heart valves or close openings in the heart.

Aortic stenosis is one of the most common and life-threatening heart valve diseases. It occurs when the aortic valve’s opening narrows and restricts blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta.1 Patients with the disease can experience breathlessness, chest pressure or tightness, fainting, palpitations, fatigue, and heart murmurs. The condition can ultimately lead to heart failure.2 While many people don’t have noticeable symptoms, more than one in eight aged 75 and older has moderate or severe aortic stenosis, which reduces the heart’s pumping ability.3 Prior to TAVR, the standard of care for severe aortic stenosis was surgical aortic valve replacement, but not all patients were candidates for open-heart surgery.

“For people in the U.S. suffering from aortic stenosis and unable to have surgery, the Portico with FlexNav system offers a safe and effective treatment option,” said Raj Makkar, M.D., associate director of Interventional Technologies at Cedars-Sinai’s Smidt Heart Institute, who served as co-principal investigator for the study that led to FDA approval. Gregory Fontana, M.D., national director, Cardiothoracic Surgery at Hospital Corporation of America and American Research Institute, also served as co-principal investigator of the Portico IDE study.

With years of experience globally, Portico is a self-expanding TAVR valve with intra-annular (within the native valve) leaflets that help provide optimal blood flow (hemodynamics) when placed inside a patient’s natural valve. The structure of the replacement valve also preserves access to the critical coronary arteries for future coronary interventions. The Portico device is implanted using Abbott’s FlexNav delivery system, which features a slim design to accommodate different patient anatomies and small vessels, and optimizes flexibility, ease of tracking and precision of valve placement.

“With the approval of our TAVR therapy in the U.S., physicians now have access to an even more robust set of solutions to treat structural heart disease,” said Michael Dale, senior vice president of Abbott’s structural heart business. “This latest and important introduction of Portico with FlexNav represents another milestone in our work to advance our mission to restore health and improve quality of life so more people can get back to living fuller lives.”

About Abbott:
Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 109,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries