Press Release:

Surgery proctor Dr. Latif Arusoglu (right) with implanting surgeon Prof. Herwig Antretter and assisting surgeon Dr. Daniel Hoefer (left).

INNSBRUCK, Austria – July 31, 2008 – On July 10, Prof. Dr. Gunther Laufer, chief of heart surgery at University Hospital Innsbruck, led his surgical team in performing Austria’s first implant of the CardioWest™ temporary Total Artificial Heart into a 56-year-old male patient. Prof. Herwig Antretter performed the implant with assistance from surgeon Dr. Daniel Hoefer.

“The CardioWest artificial heart is unequaled in the treatment of end-stage biventricular failure,” said Prof. Dr. Laufer. “I was determined to bring this technology to Innsbruck. With the completion of our CardioWest certification training, we can begin to save the lives of patients who previously had no other options.”

The implant marked Innsbruck’s completion of CardioWest certification training. Innsbruck is the 12th center in Europe and the 25th center in the world to become a CardioWest certified hospital.

Prof. Herwig Antretter has performed nearly 100 heart transplants.

The patient was admitted to the hospital on July 5 after suffering a heart attack. Surgeons immediately performed triple bypass surgery but the patient could not be stabilized. The patient had to be placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which is similar to a heart-lung machine. Surgeons determined that the patient’s dead heart tissue could not support a heart assist device, so they removed his dying heart and implanted the CardioWest artificial heart.

As part of the certification training process, Dr. Latif Arusoglu proctored the surgery. Dr. Arusoglu is a senior physician at the Heart and Diabetes Center NRW in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany. The veteran hospital has implanted more than 100 CardioWest artificial hearts.

Originally designed as a permanent replacement heart, the CardioWest is currently approved as a bridge to human heart transplant for patients dying from end-stage biventricular failure. These patients are often days, if not hours from death. Their survival is dependent upon receiving a matching donor heart, or a CardioWest artificial heart as a bridge-to-transplant.

Surgery proctor Dr. Latif Arusoglu (left) observes Prof. Herwig Antretter perform Austria’s first implant of the CardioWest artificial heart.

###

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 950 implants of the Total Artificial Heart, accounting 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, 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
Like SynCardia on Facebook
Follow SynCardia on Twitter – @SynCardia
Connect with SynCardia on LinkedIn

Media Contact:
Don Isaacs
Vice President of Communications
SynCardia Systems, Inc.
Cell: (520) 955-0660