Medical device major Medtronic, Inc.'s (MDT) Endurant AAA stent graft system – used to treat abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA.TO) – recently demonstrated consistent, long-lasting performance in two clinical studies.

The first study is an international one – the Engage Registry – that was launched after the device got CE (Conformité Européene) Mark in 2008. The second is the U.S. investigational device exemption (IDE) study that led to the device winning the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (:FDA) approval in 2011. Both these studies aimed at evaluating the Endurant AAA stent graft system's efficacy in endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

In the four-year follow-up results for all 150 patients under the U.S. IDE study, it was found that 99.2% of the patients were free from aneurysm-related mortality. Moreover, in 98% of the patients, aneurysm sacs were found to be stable or shrunk in diameter by 5 mm.

Similarly, in the four-year results for the first 500 patients under the Engage registry study, 98.4% of the patients were found to be free of aneurysm-related mortality. Likewise, in the three-year results for all 1,263 patients enrolled in the Engage registry, 98.5% of the patients were found free of aneurysm-related mortality, while 91% of the patients' aneurysms sacs were found to be stable or shrunk in diameter by 5 mm.

AAA is a potentially dangerous blood-filled bulge that originates within the part of a patient's aorta that runs through the abdomen. This medical condition currently affects approximately 2.5 million people in the U.S. and Western Europe. In absence of proper treatment, a ruptured AAA can even lead to death.

Medtronic's Endurant AAA stent graft system – a global leader in the coronary & structural heart device category – is compatible with a broad range of aortic anatomies, and allows physicians to perform endovascular aortic repair in more AAA patients than ever before.

We believe the aforementioned mid-term performance data reinstate the unparalleled capacity of Medtronic's Endurant AAA stent graft system in treating AAA for a wide range of patients. This should thus bolster the device's demand and eventually perk up Medtronic's revenues from it, going forward.

Currently, Medtronic plans to perform a 10-year follow-up on the patients enrolled under the Engage registry study. Results from this study will serve as the first longest-term performance data on a single stent graft.

Zacks Rank

Currently Medtronic carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked medical product stocks that are worth a look are ICU Medical, Inc. (ICUI), OraSure Technologies, Inc. (OSUR) and Abaxis, Inc. (ABAX). While ICU Medical and OraSure sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Abaxis holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

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