Press Release:

TUCSON, Ariz. – March 6, 2006 – Internationally respected cardiac surgeon, Francis D. Pagani, M.D., and seven members of his heart transplant team from The University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center will become the 12th team in the world to receive TAH-t Certification training. The first part of the three-phase training program will be conducted on March 6th and 7th at the University Medical Center Sarver Heart Center in Tucson, Arizona. Instructors include Marvin Slepian, M.D., Richard Smith MSEE, CCE and noted heart surgeon Jack Copeland, M.D.

According to the “U.S. News and World Report 2005 Best Hospitals” list, The University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center, is ranked as the 18th best hospital for heart care in the U.S. It is also considered a world leader in the use of heart-assisting technology for adults and children, through its Center for Circulatory Support.

The CardioWest™ TAH-t is the only FDA, Health Canada and CE approved Artificial Heart. The TAH-t is capable of providing circulatory restoration in morbidly ill patients with irreversible biventricular failure, bridging them to transplantation when a donor human heart becomes available. The TAH-t’s superior blood pumping ability, up to 9.5 liters per minute, helps to rejuvenate vital organs that have atrophied because of a failing heart. A New England Journal of Medicine paper published 8/26/04 shows that in the pivotal clinical trial 79% of patients implanted with the TAH-t survived to human heart transplant compared to 46% of control patients.

Over the last 20 years, Dr. Copeland and his team have been pioneers in using the TAH-t technology and systems. In 1985, he was one of the first transplant surgeons to be trained on the Jarvik-7 heart at the University of Utah. Since then, TAH-t technology, manufacturing and ownership have moved to Tucson. Copeland and his team have been able to improve outcomes through minor updates to the TAH-t and major advancements in procedures and drug therapy to reduce the occurrence of strokes and life threatening bleeding.

Dr. Copeland says, “This device provides a bridge to transplant for patients who may not survive to human heart transplant. Through our study we’ve documented that the TAH-t improves outcomes for transplant eligible patients with end-stage biventricular failure.”

Phases two and three of the CardioWest TAH-t training program are conducted at the hospital being certified. The second phase is devoted to ensuring that the hospital and its transplant team are “implant ready”.

The third phase involves proctored surgical training by Dr. Copeland or another TAH-t veteran surgeon. The surgeon travels to the hospital being certified to monitor the first TAH-t implant. All TAH-t certified hospitals have years, and often decades, of experience in human heart transplantation.

Only two transplant hospitals in the United States, and seven in other countries world wide, are presently certified to implant the TAH-t as a bridge to transplant. The two U.S. hospitals are the University Medical Center (UMC) in Tucson, Arizona and the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cleveland Clinic was ranked #1 and UMC #22, in the “U.S. News Best Heart Hospitals 2005″ list.

This January, during its annual share holders meeting, SynCardia projected that TAH-t certified centers will increase from 9 to 28 hospitals world wide in 2006. According to SynCardia’s CEO and President, Rodger Ford, “This growth will convert the company from a scientific venture into a profitable life-saving business.”

SynCardia Systems, Inc. was formed in 2001 by Marvin J. Slepian, M.D., Chairman of the Board, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, Richard G. Smith, MSEE, CCE, Chief Technical Officer and Cardiothoracic and TAH-t surgeon Jack Copeland, M.D. All three men, along with other medical professionals, are instructors for the TAH-t Certification training program.

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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, SynCardia's Total Artificial Heart is currently approved as a bridge to transplant for people dying from end-stage biventricular heart failure. There have been more than 1,000 implants of the Total Artificial Heart, accounting for more than 250 patient years of life.

Similar to a heart transplant, SynCardia's Total Artificial Heart replaces both failing heart ventricles and the four heart valves, eliminating the symptoms and source of end-stage biventricular failure. Unlike a donor heart, the Total Artificial Heart is immediately available at SynCardia Certified Centers and does not require expensive anti-rejection medication, which can cause subsequent complications. It is the only device that 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.

SynCardia Ranked #20 Among World's 50 Most Innovative Companies
In March 2011, Fast Company magazine ranked SynCardia #20 in its annual list of the "World's 50 Most Innovative Companies" for "giving mobility to artificial heart recipients." Weighing 13.5 pounds, SynCardia's Freedom® portable driver is the world's first wearable driver designed to power the Total Artificial Heart both inside and outside the hospital. The Freedom driver is CE approved for use in Europe and undergoing an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study in the U.S.

For additional information, please visit: http://www.syncardia.com
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Media Contact:
Don Isaacs
Vice President of Communications
SynCardia Systems, Inc.
Cell: (520) 955-0660