Medical device giants looking to boost their atrial fibrillation product portfolios would do well to take a long, hard look at cardiac device-maker AtriCure (NASDAQ:ATRC). Things have been looking up recently for Cincinnati-area AtriCure, and if the company hits a few near-term milestones its got in its sights, its price to a strategic acquirer will only rise. AtriCure appears likely to be the first company poised to obtain a label for the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and that could spark lots of interest from huge device firms like Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ).
