TORONTO, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Novadaq(R) Technologies Inc. , a developer of real-time medical imaging systems and image guided therapies for the operating room, today announced that the SPY(R) Intra-operative Imaging System will be used during a live on-line broadcast to confirm placement and assess the quality of coronary artery bypass grafts performed by Christine McCarty, MD, using the daVinci(R) S Surgical Robotic System. The broadcast will air today at 6 p.m. EST and can be viewed on line at www.or-live.com/PinnacleHealth/2120.
During the broadcast, Dr. McCarty, chair of cardiac surgery at PinnacleHealth, will complete double vessel bypass surgery on a beating heart. Once the bypass grafts are completed and while the patient is still in the operating room, Dr. McCarty will use the SPY System to visualize blood flow through the grafts and in native tissue. Adequate blood flow in the graft and native tissue may prevent the need for repeat surgery and reduce the potential for post-operative complications. Dr. McCarty has been using the SPY System routinely in her practice of cardiac surgery since November 2005. Dr. McCarty will be available to answer questions electronically from the online audience during the event.
Robotically-assisted minimally invasive cardiac surgical procedures through small incisions can reduce the potential for some of the drawbacks of traditional heart surgery, such as pain and scarring that typically results from opening the chest. However, small incisions may also affect the cardiac surgeon’s ability to see all that they would normally see in an open chest bypass procedure. During robotic procedures, SPY may enable surgeons to visualize the blood flow in bypass grafts and blood vessels and therefore assist in determining whether or not the grafts are functioning properly.
“PinnacleHealth is proud to showcase the joint use of leading edge technologies - Novadaq’s SPY Intra-operative System and Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci(R) S Surgical System - demonstrating to the community that the latest advances in medical care are available in central Pennsylvania,” says Jean Wiest, Vice President for Cardiopulmonary and Transport services at PinnacleHealth.
About PinnacleHealth
PinnacleHealth includes four campuses (Community, Cumberland, Harrisburg and Polyclinic), FamilyCare physician practices, home health and hospice services, FirstPlace urgent care center and an array of healthcare services. PinnacleHealth Heart & Vascular Institute has been the pioneer in cardiovascular care in Central Pennsylvania since 1956 when our surgeons performed the area’s first open-heart surgery. We stay on the leading edge today by applying emerging treatments and technology and through clinical trials and research.
For more information about PinnacleHealth please visit: www.pinnaclehealth.org.
About Novadaq Technologies
Novadaq Technologies Inc. develops and commercializes medical imaging systems and real-time image guided therapies for use in the operating room. Novadaq’s proprietary ICG imaging systems can be used to visualize blood vessels, nerves and the lymphatic system during a variety of surgical procedures. Novadaq’s SPY Imaging System, commercially available worldwide, enables cardiac surgeons to visually assess coronary vasculature and bypass graft functionality during the course of heart bypass surgery. The SPY System is expandable to include upgrade kits for use during other surgeries such as other cardiovascular, plastic, reconstructive and organ transplant surgery allowing surgeons to evaluate blood flow and tissue and organ perfusion. In addition, SPY is ideal for use during urological procedures enabling surgeons to visualize vessels, tumors, the lymphatic system and potentially nerve bundles. Novadaq’s OPTTX(R) System is aimed at the diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) by using the same core imaging technology that is used in the SPY Imaging System. Novadaq also offers the FDA approved PINPOINT endoscopic system for visualizing native tissue fluorescence which allows surgeons to differentiate between healthy and cancerous tissue in the lung during thoracic surgery. Novadaq is also the exclusive United States distributor of PLC Medical’s CO2 HEART LASER(TM) System for TMR (Trans-Myocardial Revascularization). For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.novadaq.com.
Forward-looking Statements
Certain statements included in this press release may be considered forward-looking. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements, and therefore these statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. All forward-looking statements are based on Novadaq’s current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to Novadaq and relate to, among other things, anticipated financial performance, business prospects, strategies, regulatory developments, market acceptance and future commitments. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Due to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties identified by Novadaq in its public securities filings; actual events may differ materially from current expectations. Novadaq disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
CONTACT: For further information visit our website at www.novadaq.com, or
contact: Arun Menawat, PhD, MBA, President & CEO, Novadaq Technologies
Inc., (905) 629-3822 x 202, amenawat@novadaq.com; Michael Moore, Investor
Relations, The Equicom Group, (416) 815-0700 x 241, mmoore@equicomgroup.com