TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- SynCardia Systems, Inc. (www.syncardia.com), manufacturer of the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart, announced today that it has launched company pages on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn in order to educate a larger audience about the world's only FDA, Health Canada and CE (Europe) approved Total Artificial Heart. There have been more than 950 implants of the Total Artificial Heart, accounting for more than 230 patient years of life on the device.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110831/LA60269)
Recently, SynCardia Certified Centers and their Total Artificial Heart patients have made headlines worldwide. On Aug. 2, Papworth Hospital became the first hospital in the United Kingdom to discharge a SynCardia Total Artificial Heart patient to wait for a matching donor heart at home. Matthew Green was able to leave the hospital using the Freedom® portable driver, a wearable power supply for SynCardia's Total Artificial Heart.
A week later, on Aug. 9, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics discharged the first Total Artificial Heart patient in the Midwest to wait for a matching donor heart at home. Richard Whittington, 59, received SynCardia's Total Artificial Heart on July 6 and after 34 days was discharged from the hospital on Aug. 9. Mr. Whittington is participating in the FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study of the Freedom portable driver.
In June, Texas Children's Hospital announced it had become the world’s first pediatric hospital to implant SynCardia’s Total Artificial Heart to save the life of 17-year-old Jordan Merecka. Jordan, who was born with multiple congenital heart defects and is awaiting a transplant, had progressed to end-stage biventricular failure. Jordan is only the third congenital heart patient under the age of 18 in the U.S. and the 6th in the world to be implanted with SynCardia's Total Artificial Heart.
The Freedom portable driver is CE approved for use in Europe and undergoing an IDE clinical study in the U.S. To date, 57 patients have been supported by the Freedom driver worldwide. In the U.S., 28 patients have been enrolled in the FDA clinical study, with 17 of these patients being discharged home. This is more than half of the 30 discharge patients required by the FDA study. Weighing 13.5 pounds, the Freedom driver is the first U.S. portable driver designed to power the Total Artificial Heart both inside and outside the hospital.
To see the latest patient videos, news stories and press releases, connect with SynCardia on:
- Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/SynCardia-Systems-Inc/191245900926019
- Twitter - http://twitter.com/SynCardia
- LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/company/syncardia-systems-inc.
CAUTION The Freedom® portable driver is an investigational device, limited by United States law to investigational use.
About the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart
SynCardia Systems, Inc. (Tucson, AZ) is the privately-held manufacturer of the world's first and only FDA, Health Canada and CE approved Total Artificial Heart. Originally used as a permanent replacement heart, the Total is currently approved as a bridge to transplant for people dying from end-stage biventricular heart failure. More than 950 implants account for more than 230 patient years of life.
Similar to a heart transplant, SynCardia's Total Artificial Heart replaces both failing heart ventricles and the four heart valves. It is the only device that eliminates the symptoms and source of end-stage biventricular failure. The Total Artificial Heart provides immediate, safe blood flow of up to 9.5 liters per minute through both ventricles. This high volume of safe blood flow helps speed the recovery of vital organs, helping make the patient a better transplant candidate.
In March 2011, Fast Company magazine ranked SynCardia #20 among the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies "for giving mobility to artificial heart recipients." Also in March, the longest running health and wellness series on public television, "Healthy Body, Healthy Mind," produced a 30-minute program featuring SynCardia's Total Artificial Heart. View here
For additional information, please visit: http://www.syncardia.com
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SOURCE SynCardia Systems, Inc.
