Press Release:

Prof. Mustafa Ozbaran (middle), head of the Transplant and Assist Device Program at Ege University, with assistant surgeons Dr. Tahir Yagdi (left) and Dr. Cagatay Engin.

TUCSON, Ariz. – Dec. 2, 2009 – On Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, the surgical team from Ege University in Izmir, Turkey, led by Prof. Mustafa Ozbaran, head of the Transplant and Assist Device Program, completed the first phase of certification training for the SynCardia temporary CardioWest™ Total Artificial Heart in Paris.

“We are excited to deliver this technology to our sickest patients who do not have any other chance to survive until a donor heart is available,” said Prof. Ozbaran. “The SynCardia Total Artificial Heart is an important and complementary tool for our assist device program.”

Ege University is one of the biggest and oldest universities in Turkey. The heart transplant program, started in 1998, has become the most active program in the country, performing a total of 130 transplants. Each year, Ege University performs approximately 1,100 open heart surgeries.

In Turkey, the average wait time for a donor heart transplant is 18 to 24 months. There are currently 43 patients on the waiting list for a donor heart. Ege University is the first transplant hospital in Turkey and the 46th in the world to begin certification training for the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart.

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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 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.

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