MINNEAPOLIS, July 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ATS Medical, Inc. , manufacturer and marketer of state-of-the-art cardiac surgery products and services, today announced it has obtained new in vivo data to support the outstanding wear characteristics of the ATS Open Pivot(R) Mechanical Heart Valve.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040202/ATSILOGO)
The first ATS Open Pivot valve was implanted in Lausanne, Switzerland on May 4, 1992 by Professor H. Sadeghi and Dr. Demetre Nicoloff. The patient was 70 years old at the time of his surgery and enjoyed another active 15 years with his ATS Open Pivot valve. He recently passed away from non-valve related causes and his physician and family permitted the explantation of his Open Pivot valve for scientific analysis. Scanning electronic microscopy and laser profilometry were used to quantify the wear on the carbon portion of the valve. After 15 years of use and an estimated 560 million opening and closing cycles, the Open Pivot valve displayed no detectable wear.
“We appreciate the willingness of Professor Sadeghi and the patient’s family to allow ATS the opportunity to examine the first implanted Open Pivot valve. Their generous contribution has provided valuable data that validates the excellent durability of the ATS valve and is a strong testament of its clinical benefits for potential patients and their physicians,” stated Michael Dale, Chairman, President, and CEO of ATS Medical.
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, 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/
