In this episode of AbbottTalks, Hosts Tom Salemi and Kayleen Brown sit down with Ethan Korngold, MD, Divisional Vice President, Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer of Abbott’s Vascular business, to discuss how artificial intelligence is reshaping decision-making in the cath lab and beyond. Dr. Korngold, an interventional cardiologist turned MedTech leader, discusses the evolution of Abbott’s vascular portfolio and how the company is integrating AI through platforms like Ultreon 2.0 to improve outcomes and procedural efficiency.

The conversation covers specific applications of AI in intravascular imaging, vessel sizing, calcium detection, and future steps in stent placement guidance. He also addresses physician and hospital system perceptions of AI, why he sees it as a GPS-like tool for guiding physicians through complex procedures, and how it may soon impact pre- and post-procedural care.

This episode is brought to you by Resonetics. To learn more about how Resonetics supports medical device companies, visit: https://shorturl.at/E1wO8

Want to understand the history of nitinol? Make sure to check out Eric's Veit's Nitinol Innovation: Decade-by-Decade breakdown on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/eric-veit_nitinol-innovation-decade-by-decade-resonetics-activity-7358601495631552512-hm9D?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAB4aLUBXtw-TjMHSa4dOuAiKreGeEZCZM4

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• (00:00:00) - Intro + Ethan Korngold's MedTech background
• (00:05:14) - Abbott's Vascular Innovations and AI Integration in Healthcare
• (00:08:54) - Innovations in Nitinol for Medical Device Manufacturing
• (00:12:44) - AI Revolutionizes Vascular Procedures with Enhanced Decision-Making
• (00:19:47) - The Future of Nitinol in Medical and Technological Applications
• (00:24:04) - AI's Role in Enhancing Medical Procedures and Patient Outcomes
• (00:27:14) - Life-Saving Coronary Interventions and Advanced Imaging Techniques
• (00:29:24) - AI Revolutionizing Cath Lab Procedures and Patient Care

In this episode of AbbottTalks, we dive into the surprising origins of neuromodulation, kicking off with a shocker (literally)—treating headaches with electric fish.

Neuromodulation expert Yagna Pathak, PhD, Medical Science Manager of Medical Affairs at Abbott’s Neuromodulation business, explains how therapies like spinal cord and deep brain stimulation have evolved, detailing their impact on chronic pain and movement disorders. She outlines how Abbott is expanding neuromodulation applications through research in treatment-resistant depression and by integrating AI, wearables, and digital health tools.

Pathak also shares how connected care technologies—including the Neurosphere Virtual Clinic and the new Neurosphere Digital Health app—are improving patient outcomes. These platforms enhance access, enable timely interventions, and provide valuable educational resources for patients and providers.

Thank you to Cirtec Medical for sponsoring this episode of AbbottTalks. For more information on how Cirtec Medical works with medical device companies, visit https://www.cirtecmed.com/, and to learn more about Cirtec Medica’s Simplifi Platform, click: https://www.devicetalks.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/simpifi-overview_litsheet.pdf

Thank you for listening to the AbbottTalks Podcast. Click here to subscribe on your favorite podcast player: https://abbotttalks.castos.com/subscribe.

• (00:00:00) - Abbott Talks: Device Talks
• (00:00:37) - Avid Talks: An Amazing Topic
• (00:01:03) - Abbott Talks: The neuromodulation story
• (00:02:37) - How did you find your way into medical technology?
• (00:05:13) - The Art of Star Posts
• (00:06:12) - Getting your PhD at Abbott
• (00:09:16) - Exploring neuromodulation: The story of its advancement
• (00:12:08) - Beyond neuromodulation, what is it and how can it
• (00:13:54) - Exploring Sirtech Medical's Neuromodulation Coverage
• (00:15:36) - Abbott Talks: Cirtech Medical and Neuromodulation
• (00:17:47) - Certek Medical's neuromodulation platform
• (00:23:20) - The Neuromodulations Impact on the Body
• (00:26:49) - Neuroscient Devices: Connected Care
• (00:29:34) - Neurostimulation Devices Connect with the Virtual Clinic
• (00:31:49) - Neurosphere's My Health Journey
• (00:33:24) - Immersive Neurology: The Virtual Clinic
• (00:42:02) - Abbott Talks: Neuromodulation
• (00:42:26) - Abbott Talks: Yagna's Story

AbbottTalks launches Season 3 with a fresh new video presence, a new co-host, and several new powerful conversations from Abbott's senior leaders.

Host Tom Salemi and new co-host Kayleen Brown welcome Vish Charan, divisional vice president of product development for Abbott's Cardiac Rhythm Management, to explore the engineering evolution of the pacemaker—and where it’s headed next.

Charan reflects on the remarkable transformation of pacemakers from large, wired implants to compact, leadless systems that dramatically improve patient outcomes. He details Abbott’s development of the AVEIR™ DR dual chamber leadless pacemaker system, the first of its kind to enable synchronized communication between the atrium and ventricle without leads, using Abbott’s proprietary i2i™ (implant-to-implant) technology.

The conversation dives deep into conduction system pacing, modular upgrades, and how Abbott is shaping the future of cardiac care for millions of patients. The episode closes with a powerful story of a former professional surfer whose life was transformed by Abbott’s innovation—an example of technology enabling patients to reclaim their lives.

Thank you to FPT Americas for sponsoring this episode of AbbottTalks. For more information on how FPT works with medical device companies, visit https://fptsoftware.com/

Thank you for listening to the AbbottTalks Podcast. To subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player, click here: https://abbotttalks.castos.com/subscribe.

• (00:00:00) - Abbott Talks: The Company's Innovation
• (00:00:37) - Abbott Talks: Season 3
• (00:01:38) - Fooled by Pacemakers
• (00:02:54) - An Expert on Pacemakers
• (00:04:46) - In the Elevator With Dr. Tom Cochrane
• (00:05:44) - The role of engineers in heart surgery
• (00:11:05) - What is a Pacemaker? (
• (00:17:38) - Lead-free Pacemakers vs Traditional Devices
• (00:20:25) - Abbott Talks: FPT Americas
• (00:21:26) - FPT Software's role in the medical device industry
• (00:22:40) - FPT Software: Small Enough to Care, Big Enough to Dare
• (00:24:46) - A Pacemaker with a Lead Wire
• (00:31:44) - Abbott Pacemaker: Better than a pacemaker?
• (00:33:50) - What is Cardiac Cardiac Pacing?
• (00:37:04) - Vietnam's IT Outsourcing
• (00:38:59) - Has Nearshore Expansion Impact Your Geographical Capacity?
• (00:40:13) - How Artificial Intelligence is Affecting FPT
• (00:41:54) - How has AI impacted the medical industry?
• (00:43:34) - Abbott Talks
• (00:44:23) - Heart failure with a pacemaker
• (00:47:37) - Abbott's Leadless Pacemaker
• (00:51:42) - One of Us: The Pacemaker Experience
• (00:55:24) - Abbott Talk: Leadless Pacemakers and Other Future
• (00:58:50) - Vishal on Avatars
• (01:00:08) - Kayleen Brown on Abbott Talk's 2nd Anniversary
• (01:00:47) - The Best in Medical Device Innovation
• (01:02:22) - Abbott Talk: Medtech Stories, Season 3

In this episode of AbbottTalks, Kartik Sundareswaran, PhD, divisional VP, global clinical and regulatory affairs, Abbott Heart Failure, discusses Abbott’s pioneering work in heart failure care, focusing on technologies that improve outcomes and empower earlier interventions. Sundareswaran’s path to MedTech began with a shift from computer engineering to biomedical research, where his early work studying blood flow patterns in children with congenital heart disease sparked a passion for solving cardiovascular challenges. This passion led him to roles at Thoratec, St. Jude Medical, and ultimately Abbott, where he has spent years advancing heart failure care. The conversation highlights Abbott’s CardioMEMS™ Heart Failure System, a device enabling remote pulmonary artery pressure monitoring to reduce hospitalizations, and the HeartMate 3 LVAD, which provides life-extending support for patients with advanced heart failure. Sundareswaran also discusses the new TEAM-HF clinical trial, which combines CardioMEMS and HeartMate 3 to identify patients earlier and deliver timely, effective interventions.

This conversation comes to you courtesy of our episode sponsor, Tecan Group Ltd. To learn more about how Tecan works with medical device companies, visit: https://partnering.tecan.com/

Thank you for listening to the AbbottTalks Podcast. Click here to subscribe on your favorite podcast player: https://abbotttalks.castos.com/subscribe

In this episode of AbbottTalks, Sandra Lesenfants, SVP of Abbott’s structural heart business, discusses the latest advancements in structural heart care, focusing on Abbott's transformative TriClip device for tricuspid regurgitation. Lesenfants highlights Abbott’s commitment to patient-centered innovation, emphasizing the importance of creating solutions that meet patients’ needs through safe and effective technologies. She also shares Abbott’s approach to expanding access to minimally invasive therapies, particularly in underserved populations worldwide, and the role of physician partnerships in advancing structural heart interventions. Lastly, Lesenfants underscores the company’s efforts to increase diversity in clinical trials, noting the importance of intentional inclusivity across gender and ethnicity to better serve diverse patient populations.

Thank you to Confluent Medical Technologies for sponsoring this episode of AbbottTalks. For more information on how Confluent Medical works with medical device companies, visit https://confluentmedical.com/.

Thank you for listening to the AbbottTalks Podcast. Click here to subscribe on your favorite podcast player: https://abbotttalks.castos.com/subscribe

In this episode of AbbottTalks, Jennifer Jones-McMeans, PhD, Divisional VP of Global Clinical Affairs at Abbott and Brian DeRubertis, MD, Chief, Division of Vascular & Endovascular Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center tackle the complexities of treating peripheral arterial disease (PAD) below the knee, particularly chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), a severe form of PAD that drastically impacts patients' quality of life and longevity. In the episode, the two discuss Abbott's Esprit BTK System, the first-and-only FDA-approved drug-eluting resorbable scaffold for infrapopliteal CLTI. Dr. Jones-McMeans explains how Esprit BTK works by releasing a drug that prevents artery re-narrowing, crucial for maintaining sustained blood flow and promoting wound healing. Later, they walk us through the pivotal LIFE-BTK trial, a significant milestone that demonstrated Esprit's efficacy and led to its FDA approval. They also highlight the importance of including diverse patient populations in clinical trials, particularly those disproportionately affected by PAD, such as African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and women. This inclusive approach not only ensures the treatment's effectiveness across varied demographics but also sets a precedent for future trials.

Thank you to Freudenberg Medical for sponsoring this episode of AbbottTalks. For more information on how Freudenberg Medical works with medical device companies, visit www.freudenbergmedical.com.

Thank you for listening to the AbbottTalks Podcast. Click here to subscribe on your favorite podcast player: https://abbotttalks.castos.com/subscribe

In this episode of AbbottTalks, Matthew Fishler, PhD, Chief Engineer & Senior Director, Product Development, Cardiac Rhythm Management at Abbott Cardiovascular, shares his experience helping to develop the revolutionary dual-chamber leadless pacemaker system, taking us through the significant challenges and triumphs of creating a device that ensures precise coordination between the heart’s atrial and ventricular chambers without traditional leads. Fishler recounts the meticulous development process, from initial concept testing using rudimentary "submarines" in saline tanks to achieving FDA approval. He highlights the deliberate approach taken to ensure safety and effectiveness, resulting in a device that now benefits patients with more comprehensive cardiac support. Lastly, he explains the innovative i2i communication technology, which uses electrical impulses to enable seamless device interaction, a concept likened to a “moonshot” due to its unprecedented nature.

Thank you to ProMed for sponsoring this episode of AbbottTalks. To learn more about ProMed’s prototype services, visit: https://promedmolding.com/capabilities/prototyping/

Thank you for listening to the AbbottTalks Podcast. Click here to subscribe on your favorite podcast player: https://abbotttalks.castos.com/subscribe

In this episode of AbbottTalks, Mahmood Kazemi, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Abbott’s Diabetes Care business overviews the profound advancements in diabetes management over the past decade and discusses the evolution of treatments and technological innovations that have revolutionized how individuals with diabetes approach their condition. Further, Dr. Kazemi underscores the benefits of advancements such as the GLP-1 receptor agonists and medications that control glucose levels and offer cardiovascular and renal protection. He then elaborates on how Abbott's FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems have significantly improved diabetes management. These systems provide real-time data, empowering individuals to customize their medication, diet, and activity levels with unprecedented precision. He also speaks to Abbott's ongoing and future work, including developing a state-of-the-art continuous glucose ketone monitoring (CGKM) sensor. This medical biowearable is designed to provide crucial early warning signs in Type 1 diabetes management, a significant step towards preventing dangerous complications and hospitalizations. Looking to the future, Kazemi anticipates a wider adoption of CGM across the diabetes community, including those with type 2 diabetes, and an increase in insurer coverage.

Thank you to BMP Medical for sponsoring this episode of AbbottTalks! For more information on how BMP Medical works with medical device companies, visit www.bmpmedical.com

Thank you for listening to the AbbottTalks Podcast. Click here to subscribe on your favorite podcast player: https://abbotttalks.castos.com/subscribe