Boston Scientific sued Atraverse Medical in the District of Delaware over US Patent 12,733,955, which issued September 15. The patent covers puncturing tissue such as the heart septum using electrical energy. Johnson & Johnson bought Atraverse in early 2026.
The accused product is Hotwire, a single-use guidewire that delivers monopolar RF power to create an atrial septal defect. It cleared 510(k) in May 2024 and has been on sale since. Boston Scientific alleges direct infringement of at least claims 1 and 22, plus induced infringement for instructing physicians on transseptal use, and willful infringement.
The sequence is the interesting part. Boston Scientific sent a cease and desist on August 20, 2025 saying Hotwire would infringe forthcoming patents. Its counsel then notified Atraverse on September 17 that the '955 patent had issued. This is the second suit between them, after an August 18, 2025 complaint on US Patent 11,998,238, a great-great-grandparent of the new one.
A freedom-to-operate opinion that only clears issued claims is half an opinion. Boston Scientific bought Baylis Medical and inherited a patent family it keeps prosecuting, so the claim set a startup cleared against in 2024 is not the claim set it faces in 2026.