The FDA has granted clearance for ATS Medical, a manufacturer and marketer of cardiac surgery products and services, for its ATS Simulus semi-rigid annuloplasty ring.

The Minneapolis-based ATS said its semi-rigid rings are the next in a series of mitral valve repair products developed and commercialized through the firm’s partnership with Genesee BioMedical.

The ring respects the natural motion of the mitral annulus and its proximity to the aortic valve for a safer, more physiologic valve repair, ATS said. Annuloplasty rings and bands are used in cases where repair of a patient's heart valve is preferable to its replacement.