PITTSBURGH, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- CardiacAssist, Inc., a Pittsburgh- based medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets cardiac assist devices, has announced the completion of the 800th worldwide TandemHeart System procedure. The TandemHeart System is now used in 17 of the top 20 heart and heart surgery hospitals in the U.S. and 11 of the nation’s top 14 hospitals overall.
A case performed recently at the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital helped CardiacAssist push past the 800th TandemHeart procedure mark. The TandemHeart System provides up to five liters per minute (lpm) of blood flow through a cardiac catheterization procedure in as little as 30 minutes. It is FDA approved for extracorporeal circulatory support for up to six hours for procedures not requiring full cardiopulmonary bypass.
“With the help of the leading critical care centers and their physicians, we’ve been able to reach a new level of acceptance for this groundbreaking technology,” said Michael Garippa, president and CEO of CardiacAssist. “When faced with critically ill patients requiring rapid hemodynamic support before or during complex cardiac procedures, the TandemHeart System provides physicians with a valuable, non-surgical option.”
According to the Texas Heart Institute, the case involved a 52-year-old Houston area man whose condition was quickly deteriorating. Physicians called upon the TandemHeart System to provide critical, rapid extracorporeal circulatory support for the patient. Drs. Pranav Loyalka, Andrew Civitello and Reynolds Delgado participated in the patient’s care. The Texas Heart Institute has used the TandemHeart in more than 80 cases.
The TandemHeart System is the only percutaneous extracorporeal support device cleared by the FDA for sale in the U.S. The TandemHeart System is fully reimbursed by Medicare under existing DRG codes and can be placed rapidly in the cath lab or operating room, providing reliable, temporary extracorporeal circulatory support.
To date, more than 800 uses of the device in 28 countries at 90 different facilities by 120 different physicians have been performed.
About CardiacAssist
Founded in 1996, CardiacAssist, Inc. is a privately held, Pittsburgh-based medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets innovative products designed to provide cardiologists and cardiac surgeons with minimally invasive solutions for treating weakened and failing hearts. Its vision is to help advance the treatment of heart disease by bridging gaps in current treatment methodologies.
This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that relate to CardiacAssist’s future business and financial performance. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual events or future results to differ from those discussed herein.
Media Contact: Dan Snyders Armada Medical Marketing 303-623-1190 x230 dan@armadamedical.com Monica Bush CardiacAssist, Inc. 412-963-7770 x247 mbush@cardiacassist.com
CardiacAssist, Inc.
CONTACT: Dan Snyders of Armada Medical Marketing, +1-303-623-1190 x230, ordan@armadamedical.com; or Monica Bush of CardiacAssist, Inc.,+1-412-963-7770 x247, or mbush@cardiacassist.com
Web site: http://www.cardiacassist.com/
