CHICAGO, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --- Edwards Lifesciences Corporation , the world leader in heart valve technologies, will showcase several new technologies at the 42nd annual scientific meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) in Chicago, Jan. 30 - Feb. 1. The company will highlight its broad portfolio of heart valve therapy and cardiac surgery products at its exhibit, located at Booth #612 in Hall C at McCormick Place North in downtown Chicago.
Edwards will feature its world-leading line of heart valve therapy products, including the Carpentier-Edwards PERIMOUNT Magna aortic replacement valve with the ThermaFix process. The PERIMOUNT Magna valve is designed specifically to optimize patient blood flow and facilitate ease of implantation. The addition of the proprietary ThermaFix process to Edwards' PERIMOUNT Magna valve is expected to further improve upon the extensively documented long-term performance already seen in Edwards' PERIMOUNT tissue valve line. The company also will showcase the Edwards GeoForm mitral valve repair ring, which has a unique, three-dimensional shape that has been shown to successfully treat mitral valve regurgitation caused by cardiomyopathy and improve the function of the heart's left ventricle.
Among several presentations at STS that will address the development of new heart valve therapies, Dr. Gerhard Wimmer-Greinecker from the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany will be discussing the Ascendra aortic valve replacement system, which utilizes the Cribier-Edwards percutaneous heart valve technology in a new trans-apical placement (TAP) procedure. The minimal-access procedure, which will be addressed in Dr. Wimmer-Greinecker's presentation at the STS/AATS Tech-Con 2006 sessions on the morning of Jan. 29, allows surgeons to replace a heart valve on a beating heart, without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass.
Edwards to Launch Two New Cardiac Surgery Systems
Among the new developments that Edwards Lifesciences will highlight at STS will be the U.S. launch of the Edwards Optiwave 980 cardiac laser ablation system, a device used by surgeons to create lesions in cardiac tissue. Using the system's endocardial (inside the heart) or epicardial (outside the heart) fiber optic and diffuser technology gives clinicians a flexible tool to quickly create lesions on the surface or inside of the heart's tissue -- a technique believed to block the conduction of errant electrical signals in the heart that can cause cardiac arrhythmia.
Dr. Li Poa, chief of cardiac surgery at Enloe Medical Center in Chico, Calif., has pioneered a new, minimally-invasive surgical technique using the Optiwave 980 system, which will be discussed at an Edwards-sponsored educational breakfast symposium on Jan. 31 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place Convention Center.
Edwards Lifesciences also will announce at STS the U.S. launch of its new Edwards EMBOL-X Glide intra-aortic embolic management system, a proprietary system that can help capture embolic material such as blood clots or tissue fragments and prevent them from traveling through a patient's bloodstream during cardiac surgery. The device, which is used during open-heart surgery, is the only technology available in the U.S. that captures and removes particles within the aorta that otherwise might have remained in the patient's circulatory system.
About Edwards Lifesciences
Edwards Lifesciences is a leader in advanced cardiovascular disease treatments and the number-one heart valve company in the world. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Edwards focuses on four main cardiovascular disease states: heart valve disease, coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease and congestive heart failure. The company's global brands, which are sold in approximately 100 countries, include Carpentier-Edwards, Cosgrove-Edwards, Swan-Ganz and Fogarty. Additional information can be found at www.edwards.com.
PERIMOUNT Magna, Optiwave 980, EMBOL-X Glide and ThermaFix are trademarks of Edwards Lifesciences Corporation. Edwards Lifesciences, Edwards, Carpentier-Edwards, Cosgrove-Edwards, Fogarty, PERIMOUNT and Swan-Ganz are trademarks of Edwards Lifesciences Corporation and are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. LifeStent is a trademark of Edwards Lifesciences AG and is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
This news release includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including those related to the ability of the ThermaFix process to further improve upon the PERIMOUNT Magna's long-term performance, the successful U.S. launches of the Optiwave 980 cardiac laser ablation system and the EMBOL-X Glide intraortic embolic management system, and other risks detailed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by management of the company and are believed to be reasonable, though are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Actual results or experience could differ materially from the forward-looking statements.
Edwards Lifesciences CorporationCONTACT: Media, Barry R. Liden, +1-949-250-5070, or Investors, David K.Erickson, +1-949-250-6826, both of Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
Web site: http://www.edwards.com/
