Boston Scientific slides after flagging slowdown in Watchmen heart device usage
Boston Scientific slides after flagging slowdown in Watchmen heart device usage
By Kamal ChoudhuryWed, May 27, 2026 at 3:35 PM UTC
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A general view of the logo of Boston Scientific, a medical device developing and manufacturing company, in Galway, Ireland, April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo
By Kamal Choudhury
May 27 (Reuters) - Boston Scientific shares fell about 12% on Wednesday to their lowest in more than two years, after the medical device maker flagged declining usage of its heart disease device.
The comments added to concerns for investors as the Watchman heart device has been one of the company's most important growth engines.
"What's happened in 2026 is we've seen a declining usage of Watchmen stand-alone procedures," CEO Michael Mahoney said at Bernstein's annual conference.
He added that changing treatment patterns are driving the shift, with doctors increasingly combining Watchman procedures with other heart treatments during a single visit, rather than performing it as a standalone procedure.
Watchman is a small implant placed in the heart to prevent blood clots from forming and causing strokes, especially in patients with atrial fibrillation who cannot take long-term blood thinners.
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"With the declining standalone watchman and growing concomitant, we basically want to set an expectation of flat dollar growth from first quarter to second quarter, and likely in the third quarter," Mahoney said.
He added that the company was comfortable with its full-year organic revenue growth forecast of 6.5% to 8%, a range it was forced to pare down to earlier this year from loftier expectations.
Bernstein analyst Christian Moore, in a client note, said the expectations were "a bit below Street."
Boston Scientific had already cut its annual forecast earlier this year, citing pressure in the Watchman business as one of the key reasons for the downgrade, along with challenges in other segments.
"The top question investors had boiled down to 'are the negative revisions over and can the management team set a floor, build off it, and repair investor trust?' This update pushes off a 'yes' answer to a further date," said J.P. Morgan analyst Robbie Marcus.
(Reporting by Kamal Choudhury in Bengaluru; Editing by Joyjeet Das)
Source: “AOL Money”
