Heart disease is becoming a bigger problem but these ASX stocks are trying to help with it

A growing number of ASX health stocks are trying to help with heart disease.

The majority of stocks provide either internal or external monitoring devices but a couple provide replacement valves.

Arguably the most well known of these is Hydrix (ASX:HYD) which is an engineering company by trade but two years ago picked up the distribution rights for AngelMed Guardian which is an internal heart monitoring device.

You might be thinking of pacemakers, but the company claims it goes beyond that in monitoring heart health 24/7 and can alert patients of Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) before symptoms occur.

Last year markets reacted positively to news of the first successful implants of AngelMed Guardian, first in Singapore and then in the USA.

In 2021 it is eyeing off the first implant into Australia and entered into an agreement to distribute another heart health product – in Phyzon Health’s cardiac guidewire.

HeraMED (ASX:HMD) also has a device that monitors the hearts (and other organs) of foetuses. Its device has passed several clinical studies and it is eyeing off commercialisation – particularly in the US.

Another is Uscom (ASX:UCM) which is selling various monitoring and reporting devices including for heart health but also for sepsis and even COVID-19.

The ASX stock helping with heart valve replacements

Anteris Technologies (ASX:AVR) is another ASX heart health stock that has been running hot in recent months – more than tripling in 2021.

This company makes replacement valves which it aims to be more durable than competing products.

For the most part Anteris’ rise has been off the back of no news but yesterday the firm released results of an anti-calcification study that put it head to head with a key competitor and shows it came out strong.

Calcification is alluding to the hardening of heart value replacements leading to their failure.

The company claims that most replacement heart valves fail at an average of five years from surgery, resulting in the requirement of multiple heart surgeries across the lives of patients.