Feb 05, 2000

A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommended approval of Ventritex Inc.'s heart defibrillator for controlling abnormal heart rhythms. The device, the Cadence V-100 implantable defibrillator, is Ventritex's primary product. It emits regular electrical impulses to pace the heart and sends electrical shocks of varied strength to correct irregularities.

Ventritex, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., became a public company on Jan. 22 when it sold 4.7 million shares at $18 each. A competitor, Medtronic Inc., plans to submit a similar heart-pacing device to the F.D.A. later in the quarter. Ventritex's shares gained $2 today, closing at $30.25 in over-the counter trading; Medtronics' rose $1, to $88.125, on the New York Stock Exchange

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