WILMINGTON, Mass., Feb. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CardioTech International, Inc. today announced that the Vision (TM) Cardiopulmonary Bypass (CPB) equipment is being used at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center in Orange County, which has one of the nation’s oldest transfusion-free surgery programs.
The Vision (TM) CBP Equipment is manufactured and sold by Gish Biomedical, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CardioTech. The Vision CBP includes oxygenators, reservoirs, filters and Cardioplegia units, which are now considered mainstream components in transfusion-free surgeries specifically targeted to Jehovah’s Witnesses who adhere to a biblical admonition against receiving blood.
The Los Angeles Times in its January 31, 2005 Health section featured a front page, multicolumn article focusing on the growing trend towards transfusion-free cardiothoracic surgery, not just for Jehovah’s Witnesses, but for elective surgeries as well. Pope John Paul II was ill for two months with symptoms similar to mononucleosis or hepatitis, contracted from transfusions he received after a 1981 assassination attempt.
Douglas Whittaker, President of Gish Biomedical commented, “We are gratified to have seen our equipment in use in one the L.A. Times color photographs. Gish’s cardiopulmonary products address a $500,000,000 annual market worldwide. We are pleased to provide information concerning this matter as a public service. You can learn more about transfusion-free medicine at the following websites: Jehovah’s Witnesses health website: http://www.noblood.org/; Gish Biomedical website: http://www.gishbiomedical.com/; and the Society for the Advancement of Blood Management: http://www.sabm.org/.
About CardioTech
CardioTech International, Inc. maintains operations in Wilmington, Massachusetts; Plymouth, Minnesota and Rancho Santa Margarita, California. CardioTech focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing devices to surgically treat cardiovascular disease. Current revenue sources include patented polyurethanes, medical devices, contract manufacturing, and disposables used during cardiopulmonary bypass procedures. CardioTech is currently conducting human clinical trials with a synthetic coronary artery bypass graft that addresses a $1.5 billion annual market. Additionally, CardioTech has partnered with Implant Sciences and CorNova to develop a drug- eluting stent that addresses a $1 billion international market.
CardioTech believes that this release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Such statements are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to facts that could cause results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. For further information you are encouraged to review CardioTech’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Investor contact: Aurelius Consulting Group: Dave Gentry, 407/644-4256 dave@aurcg.comhttp://www.runonideas.com/
CardioTech International, Inc.
CONTACT: Investor contact: Dave Gentry of Aurelius Consulting Group,+1-407-644-4256, dave@aurcg.com
Web site: http://www.cardiotech-inc.com/