We're into the heart of earnings season, and several of the medical device industry's biggest players have already reported quarterly results. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ 0.69%) led off among the biggest players, with fellow diversified health care firm Abbott Labs (ABT 0.67%) and more concentrated company St. Jude Medical (STJ) following suit last week.

In that time, a few key trends have stood out that investors should take note of – particularly before Boston Scientific's (BSX 1.01%) earnings emerge this Thursday. Fool contributor Dan Carroll and health care analyst Max Macaluso discuss how the above companies fared this earnings season, and if the trends we've seen will come to shape Boston Scientific's earnings as well later this week.