Press Release:

Dr. Georg Wieselthaler, Clinical Director of Mechanical Circulatory Support, Vienna General Hospital

TUCSON, Ariz. – April 16, 2008 – On April 14 and 15, Dr. Georg Wieselthaler, Clinical Director of Mechanical Circulatory Support, and his team from Vienna General Hospital at the University of Vienna completed the first phase of certification training for the CardioWest™ temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH-t) in Tucson.

Dr. Wieselthaler, a leader in the use of mechanical circulatory support devices, was the first surgeon to implant both the MicroMed DeBakey Left Ventricular Assist Device and the HeartWare HVAD. He has also implanted other ventricular assist devices including the Terumo DuraHeart LVAS. Dr. Wieselthaler is the Secretary General of the International Society of Rotary Blood Pumps.

Vienna General Hospital is the 16th hospital in Europe and the 33rd hospital in the world to complete the first phase of CardioWest certification training. The third phase of CardioWest certification training is the proctored first implant of the artificial heart at that center.

Vienna General Hospital is the largest hospital in Austria, with 2,189 hospital beds. More than 300 years old, today Vienna General Hospital treats nearly 95,000 in-hospital patients each year.

There are currently 24 CardioWest certified centers worldwide, with nine additional hospitals undergoing the certification process. There are CardioWest certified centers in the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Austria. Hospitals in Sweden and Switzerland have also begun CardioWest certification training.

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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