The beat goes on

(FSB Magazine) -- When we last visited Abiomed, the maker of the first fully implantable artificial heart had been dealt a tough blow by an FDA advisory panel, which recommended that the company's AbioCor not be approved.

But after Abiomed developed a new methodology that aims to decrease the chance of stroke, the FDA relented this September, allowing as many as 4,000 of the mechanical hearts to be sold each year in the U.S. Still, the FDA expects that far fewer candidates than that will meet the strict standards for receiving an AbioCor. --PATRICIA B. GRAY

Just days after FSB went to press with the last issue, we learned that Jim Kahrs, 79, the founder of Osage Catfisheries ("Caviar From the Heartland," October 2006), passed away after a massive heart attack. Kahrs's sons, Pete and Steve, will continue to operate the company. "He'll come back and haunt us if we don't," says Steve. --CARLYE ADLER