Nick Von Bergen, MD, professor, Division of Cardiology, led the medical device startup, Atrility Medical, to a first-place win at the Heart Rhythm Society’s HRX Live 2026 Pitch Competition last month in Atlanta. Von Bergen is chief medical officer and co-founder of Atrility Medical, a cardiac medical device company. Atrility is already producing the AtriAmp, a device that provides higher quality data for rhythm assessment, and the company is developing software for continuous real-time rhythm diagnosis for post-operative patients. The UW will be the first center to utilize Atrility’s software in a research capacity. Even so, this vision for improved monitoring presented in the pitch resonated with the physicians and investors on the judging committee and within the audience, reinforcing the need for improvements in real-time post-operative monitoring. HRX Live brings together leaders in cardiac electrophysiology to explore cutting-edge innovation and build partnerships across industry and academia.