Cardiosolutions Names Dr. Lars Svensson Chief Surgical Officer
STOUGHTON, Mass., Nov. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardiosolutions, Inc. (http://www.cardiosolutionsinc.com) has announced the appointment of Dr. Lars Svensson, M.D., Ph.D. to the position of Chief Surgical Officer. Dr. Svensson is currently the Director of the Center for Aortic Surgery and Director of the Marfan Syndrome and Connective Tissue Disorder Clinic in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Cleveland Clinic.
Cardiosolutions Inc. is developing its proprietary Percu-Pro(TM) System, a through the skin minimally invasive procedure for delivering a Mitra-Spacer(TM) into the heart for mitigating mitral regurgitation. This percutaneous system avoids open heart surgery, a difficult, risky, and costly procedure with an extended period of recovery which is the current standard treatment for mitral regurgitation. Mitral regurgitation is a condition in which the leaflets of the heart's mitral valve do not close correctly, allowing blood to improperly "backflow" from the lower pumping chamber (left ventricle) upward into the smaller upper chamber (left atrium). Debilitating chronic mitral regurgitation affects approximately 6% of women and 3% of men today. Cardiosolution's novel technology consists of a simple spacer, or plug, that is delivered to the mitral valve through a catheter inserted into a vein in the patient's leg. This spacer provides a sealing surface for the valve leaflets minimizing the backflow of blood into the left atrium.
In addition to its minimally invasive delivery system, Cardiosolutions is also exploring a surgical option for delivering its spacer technology. A surgical option will allow the Company to work with both the cardiac interventionalist, whose expertise involves catheter based therapies, and the cardiothoracic surgeon who is proficient in open chest procedures. The ability to engage physicians from both the interventionalist and surgical disciplines will allow a much wider patient population to benefit from Cardiosolution's novel spacer technology.
Dr. Svensson will lead the company's new effort in exploring the potential for the surgical delivery of its Mitra-Spacer(TM) technology which is done through a small chest incision. Dr. Svensson will also work alongside Dr. Thomas Piemonte Chief Medical Officer of Cardiosolutions Inc., in advancing the catheter based, percutaneous delivery system of the spacer. "Having Dr. Svensson as our Chief Surgical Officer is a tremendous asset for Cardiosolutions," said Jon Wilson, COO of the company. "He has vast experience pioneering new heart valve technologies and his surgical expertise in mini incision, beating heart techniques will be invaluable in introducing Cardiosolutions technology into the surgical arena."
Cardiosolutions, Inc. is headquartered in Stoughton, MA, and was founded and incubated in 2006 by STD Med, Inc., a Stoughton-based manufacturer and developer of medical technologies. In addition to Cardiosolutions, other companies that began at STD Med are Angiolink Corporation, Arthrosurface Incorporated, and Spirus Medical, Inc.
For more on Cardiosolutions, Inc. visit http://www.cardiosolutionsinc.com.
CONTACT: Ronald Murphy, V.P. Investor Relations, or Jon Wilson, C.O.O.,
both of Cardiosolutions, Inc., +1-781-344-0801
Web site: http://www.cardiosolutionsinc.com/