Medtronic announces positive STOP AF clinical trial data at 59th American College of Cardiology session

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE:MDT) today announced data from the STOP AF (Sustained Treatment of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation) clinical trial during late-breaking sessions at the 59^th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology in Atlanta. The data showed superiority over anti-arrhythmic drugs, with 69.9 percent of patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) treated with the Arctic Front® Cardiac CryoAblation Catheter System remaining free of atrial fibrillation (AF) one year after cryoablation, compared to 7.3 percent on drug therapy. All primary safety and effectiveness endpoints in the trial were met. The Arctic Front® Cardiac CryoAblation Catheter System is commercially available for use in Europe and certain other countries outside the United States and is under investigational use in the United States.

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“These data are a promising indication of the safety profile of cryoablation and its effectiveness in isolating the pulmonary veins to stop AF,” said Kevin Wheelan, M.D., chief of staff at Baylor Heart and Vascular in Dallas and investigator with the STOP AF trial. “The cryoballoon demonstrated strong results in treating PAF patients who had previously failed drug treatment.”