Medtronic ($MDT) has added Karen Parkhill as EVP and CFO. She was previously with financial services firm Comerica ($CMA), where she was vice-chair and CFO for 5 years. The move adds a woman to the upper echelons of Medtronic management; their ranks were almost entirely male after the Covidien merger--a fact FierceMedicalDevices noted in our most recent "Top Women in Medical Devices" special report. Parkhill started out as an investment banker at JP Morgan in 1992 and rose through the ranks to eventually become CFO of its Commercial Banking business. Her extensive finance background will serve her well at Medtronic--which currently is focused largely on financial engineering to preserve and consolidate its top spot as the largest medical devicemaker by far. More
> Boston Scientific ($BSX) has nabbed FDA approval for two catheters for use with its Rhythmia Mapping System. They are magnetically tracked catheters designed to map and ablate to treat Type I atrial flutter in the upper chambers of the heart. More
> Acutus Medical has gained a CE mark for its real-time electrophysiology tech, the AcQMap 3D High Resolution Imaging and Mapping System, to diagnose and treat complex arrhythmias. More
> Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan will cover Optune from Novocure ($NVCR) to treat newly diagnosed and/or recurrent glioblastoma. That brings the total U.S. covered lives for the tech to more than 112 million, the company said. More