During the first quarter, medical device company mergers and acquisition totalled $10.2bn, while in vitro diagnostic firms and research tools players completed M&A activity that totaled $5bn.

Cardiva Medical is taking advantage of the growing demand for products that safely and quickly close the access sites created for catheter-based electrophysiology procedures and other large-catheter cardiac procedures. The company has a sales staff entirely dedicated to its line of closure devices for multi-site venous closure for 6-12 French inner diameter sheaths, and is investing in clinical trials to show how these devices can improve patients’ recovery time and reduce the risk of complications.

The $1 billion vascular closure market is primed for growth. It comes on the back of intensive R&D that has spawned a range of alternatives to the traditional manual/compression approach, giving SJM and the sector’s other heavyweights cause to look over their shoulders.