MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ATS Medical, Inc. , manufacturer and marketer of state-of-the-art cardiac surgery products and services, today announced the appointment of Craig Swandal as Vice President of Operations effective August 11, 2008. Mr. Swandal was previously the Senior Vice President of Corporate Operations for Gyrus ACMI, a leader in the development and manufacture of minimally invasive surgical instruments. He has over 25 years of progressive operations management experience and is a well respected leader in the implementation of Lean and Six Sigma systems.
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In this newly created position, Mr. Swandal will be responsible for overseeing the continuous improvement and expansion of ATS Medical’s best-in-class operations organization. Mr. Swandal commented, “I am excited about joining ATS Medical, particularly at a time when it is poised for significant growth. I look forward to contributing in ways that will allow us to make the most of our opportunity.” Michael Dale, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer noted, “Our operations demands continue to grow through volume increases and diversification of product technology offerings. Craig’s expertise and leadership will be a valuable addition to our executive management team as we strive to expand our operations capabilities in concert with anticipated growth.”
About ATS Medical
ATS Medical, Inc. provides innovative products and services focused on cardiac surgery. The Company, global in scope, is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. More than 150,000 ATS Open Pivot(R) Heart Valves, which utilize a unique pivot design resulting in exceptional performance and low risk profile, have been implanted in patients worldwide. The ATS 3f(R) brand encompasses multiple tissue heart valve product offerings at varying steps from market introductions to clinical trials to development projects that incorporate less invasive valve replacement technology. ATS Medical’s focus on serving the cardiac surgery community is further strengthened by offerings that include ATS Simulus(R) annuloplasty products for heart valve repair and ATS CryoMaze(TM) surgical ablation products. The ATS Medical web site is http://www.atsmedical.com.
Safe Harbor
This Press Release contains forward-looking statements that may include statements regarding intent, belief or current expectations of the Company and its management. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of important factors, including the results of clinical trials, the timing of regulatory approvals, the integration of 3f Therapeutics and the surgical cryoablation business of CryoCath Technologies, Inc., regulatory actions, competition, pricing pressures, supplier actions and management of growth. For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties that could affect the Company’s activities and results, please refer to the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 and its most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q.
CONTACT: Michael Dale, President|CEO, +1-763-553-7736, or Michael Kramer,
CFO, +1-763-557-2222, both of ATS Medical, Inc.; or Investors, Doug Sherk,
Jenifer Kirtland, or Donald Takaya, +1-415-896-6820, or Media, Steve
DiMattia, +1-646-201-5445, all for ATS Medical, Inc.
Web site: http://www.atsmedical.com/
