Derived from Strategic Transactions, Elsevier Business Intelligence’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Medical Device Deals Update column is a survey of recent medtech M&A, alliance, and financing activity. This month’s column covers deals announced August-October 2013.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Elsevier Business Intelligence’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Dealmaking column is a survey of recent health care transactions listed by relevant industry segment – In Vitro Diagnostics, Medical Devices, and Pharmaceuticals – and then categorized by type – Acquisition, Alliance, or Financing. This month’s column covers deals announced August through September 2013.

A decade ago, during the device industry's first financing crisis, medical device incubators played a crucial role in keeping small start-ups viable. But incubators themselves soon ran into problems, most notably in finding a sustainable financing model for themselves. California-based Intersect Partners has been one of the most successful incubators but it, too, needed to find a new model to make incubation viable.

Recent safety issues with drug-eluting stents may have opened the door ever so slightly for cardiac surgeons and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery to stage a small but noticeable comeback in the treatment of coronary artery disease.