Press Release:

Dr. Robert S.D. Higgins, Chair of Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgery, Rush University

TUCSON, Ariz. – March 10, 2008 – On March 10 and 11, Rush University Medical Center’s mechanical circulatory support and heart transplant team led by Chair of Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgery, Robert S.D. Higgins, M.D. and Cardiologist Jose C. Mendez, M.D., will participate in the first phase of certification training for the CardioWest™ temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH-t).

“We are extremely excited about  bringing this life-saving technology to the Chicagoland area for patients battling end stage heart failure. The CardioWest artificial heart provides the best biventricular support available,” Dr. Higgins said. If the IDE clinical study is approved by the FDA for the Companion Universal Driver, “we will be one of the first centers in the U.S. able to discharge artificial heart patients home for their recovery.”

In the first half of 2008, SynCardia Systems, Inc. plans to make an application to the FDA to conduct an IDE clinical study of a universal driver system designed for use in both the hospital and for discharge.

The third phase of CardioWest certification training is the proctored first implant of the artificial heart. Rush will be the 32nd hospital in the world and the 16th in the U.S. to complete the first phase of certification training. There are currently 24 TAH-t certified centers worldwide, with eight additional hospitals currently undergoing the certification process.

Rush University Medical Center was ranked among the best hospitals in 11 of 16 categories, including Heart and Heart Surgery, in the 2007 “America’s Best Hospitals” issue of U.S. News & World Report magazine. Founded nearly 170 years ago, Rush is also home to one of the first medical colleges in the Midwest and one of the nation’s top-ranked Magnet status nursing colleges, as well as graduate programs in allied health, health systems management and biomedical research.

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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