MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Michael D. Dale, President and CEO of ATS Medical, Inc. , a developer and manufacturer of the ATS Open Pivot(R) mechanical heart valve and related cardiac surgical accessories and technologies, today announced the appointment of Theodore C. Skokos to its Board of Directors.
Mr. Skokos joins the ATS Medical Board with an impressive resume detailing more than 30 years of experience in the field of law and in business entrepreneurship and development. He is a founder, Board Member and current Chairman of the Board for 3F Therapeutics, Inc., of Orange County, California, which was acquired by ATS Medical on September 29, 2006. He is also a founder and current President of Cardiac Concepts, Inc., Dallas, Texas, and serves on the Board of The World Heart Foundation, Washington, D.C.
Prior to his current responsibilities, Mr. Skokos accumulated more than 20 years of experience in the private practice of law. He has also been a founder and developer of multiple successful cellular communications ventures.
"Ted has been intimately involved with 3F Therapeutics from the very beginning and his contributions and guidance will be valuable additions to the ATS Medical Board of Directors. His insights and skills will help to ensure continuity and a smooth transition as ATS Medical and 3F Therapeutics combine their respective talents and assets to create a formidable company focused on serving the needs of cardiac surgeons and their patients. We are excited that Ted has chosen to join us and bring his broad array of skills and experience to the table in ways that will benefit all who are committed to the continuing growth story at ATS Medical," noted Mr. Dale.
About ATS Medical
ATS Medical, Inc. manufactures and markets products and services focused on cardiac surgery. The company, global in scope, has been headquartered in Minneapolis since its founding in 1991. More than 130,000 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. ATS Medical's focus on serving the cardiac surgery community is further strengthened by offerings that include ATS Simulus(TM) annuloplasty products for heart valve repair, SurgiFrost(R) and FrostByte(TM) products for surgical cryoablation of cardiac arrhythmias, RTI-Cardiovascular for allograft tissue services, QAS home monitoring services for anticoagulation therapy and the development of PARSUS blood filtration technology. The ATS Medical web site is http://www.atsmedical.com .
About 3F Therapeutics
3F Therapeutics was founded in 1998 with a focus similar to that of ATS Medical, on serving the needs of the cardiac surgeon. 3F Therapeutics' fundamentally unique heart valve product design concepts are intended to improve on the performance of existing heart valves by mimicking natural valves. With the belief that there is not a single solution for each heart valve implant, 3F Therapeutics has worked toward offering cardiac surgeons several biological tissue heart valve options from which to choose. Its first product, the 3F Aortic Bioprosthesis(TM), has been commercially released in Europe and the U.S. FDA submission process is underway. 3F Therapeutics was acquired by ATS Medical on September 29, 2006.
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040202/ATSILOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.orgPRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.comATS Medical, Inc.CONTACT: Michael Dale, President and CEO, +1-763-553-7736, or Investors,Jennifer Beugelmans, +1-646-277-8704, or Doug Sherk, +1-415-896-6820, orSteve DiMattia, +1-646-277-8706 (Media), all for ATS Medical, Inc.
Web site: http://www.atsmedical.com/
