SAN DIEGO, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CryoCor, Inc. , a medical device company focused on the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, announced today the publication of a European study of atrial fibrillation patients treated with CryoCor’s Cardiac Cryoablation System. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the role of atrial flutter in the recurrence of atrial fibrillation and the effectiveness of an ablation strategy focused on isolating the pulmonary veins to treat the atrial fibrillation. The study was published in the December 11, 2007 issue of Circulation.
The 98-patient study was conducted by Dr. Wendel Moreira, Dr. Luz-Maria Rodriguez, Dr. Carl Timmermans and others in Academic Hospital Maastricht using CryoCor’s Cardiac Cryoablation System. The study prospectively evaluated the best catheter ablation strategy in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with and without concomitant right atrial flutter. During follow-up averaging 26 months, the authors found that electrical isolation of the pulmonary veins by catheter ablation was successful in patients without concomitant atrial flutter at an 82% success rate. In patients with concomitant atrial flutter, the combination of ablation for atrial flutter and pulmonary vein isolation alone to treat atrial fibrillation was frequently insufficient in preventing recurrences of atrial fibrillation (recurrence rate of 67%). The authors concluded that those patients with atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation may require additional sites of ablation to effectively treat their atrial fibrillation.
Dr. Rodriguez, senior author of the study, stated, “This is the first time that an ablation strategy for paroxysmal atrial filbrillation and atrial flutter has been systematically studied. This has implications for the tools that a clinician may use to treat these atrial arrhythmias. Based on this study, we do not believe that it will be sufficient to simply isolate the pulmonary veins in a significant proportion of patients.”
About CryoCor
CryoCor is a medical technology company that has developed and manufactures a disposable catheter system based on its proprietary cryoablation technology for the minimally invasive treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. The Company’s product, the CryoCor Cardiac Cryoablation System, or the Cryoablation System, is designed to treat cardiac arrhythmias through the use of cryoenergy, or extreme cold, to destroy targeted cardiac tissue. The Cryoablation System has been approved in Europe for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, and atrial flutter, the two most common and difficult to treat arrhythmias, since 2002. In the United States, CryoCor is conducting a pivotal trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Cryoablation System for the treatment of atrial fibrillation and the Cryoablation System has been approved for the treatment of right atrial flutter. For more information please visit the Company’s website at http://www.cryocor.com
Forward Looking Statements
The statements in this press release that are not descriptions of historical facts are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These include statements related to the study’s results and conclusions drawn from the study’s results, all of which are prospective. Such statements are only predictions and reflect CryoCor’s expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release based on currently available operating, financial, and competitive information. The actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including risks involved with CryoCor’s technology and the diagnosis and treatment of atrial arrhythmias; risks associated with the Company’s dependence on patents and proprietary rights; risks associated with the Company’s protection and enforcement of its patents and proprietary rights; risks associated with the development or availability of competitive products or technologies; risks associated with the Company’s ability to maintain and achieve milestones under collaborative agreements and the other risks and uncertainties identified in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. The Company expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements.
gtibbitts@cryocor.comnlaudico@theruthgroup.comzkubow@theruthgroup.comjrando@theruthgroup.com
CONTACT: Gregory J. Tibbitts, Chief Financial Officer of CryoCor, Inc.,
+1-858-909-2200, gtibbitts@cryocor.com; for Investors: Nick Laudico,
+1-646-536-7030, nlaudico@theruthgroup.com, or Zack Kubow, +1-646-536-7020,
zkubow@theruthgroup.com; Media: Jason Rando, +1-646-536-7025,
jrando@theruthgroup.com, all of The Ruth Group
Web site: http://www.cryocor.com/
