Press Release:

Dr. Timothy B. Icenogle, Director of the Mechanical Heart Program, Sacred Heart Medical Center

TUCSON, Ariz. – Oct. 7, 2010 – On Oct. 4 & 5, the surgical team from Sacred Heart Medical Center, one of the largest hospitals in the Northwest, led by Timothy B. Icenogle, M.D., Director of the Mechanical Heart Program, completed the first phase of certification to implant the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart. Sacred Heart is scheduled to complete Phase II of certification on Oct. 12 & 13, followed by the proctored first implant after an appropriate patient has been identified.

"At Sacred Heart, we receive lots of referrals from local and regional facilities for their most severe and complicated cardiac cases," said Dr. Icenogle. "We are very excited to offer the Total Artificial Heart to patients dying from biventricular heart failure. The Total Artificial Heart serves as a life-saving bridge to transplant for some of the sickest patients."

Dr. Icenogle completed his residency in cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Arizona under the leadership of Dr. Jack Copeland, who has performed more than 100 implants of the Total Artificial Heart. Upon performing its first implant, Sacred Heart will become the 1st SynCardia Certified Center in the Northwest and the 14th in the U.S. Dr. Icenogle previously implanted the Total Artificial Heart when he was an assistant professor at the University of Arizona.

Sacred Heart has had excellent heart transplant survival rates and its permanent mechanical heart assist device survival rates have now reached 90%, among the highest in the nation. Sacred Heart performs three times as many cardiovascular procedures as any other hospital in the region (Department of Health, 2006) and ranks in the nation's top 10% of hospitals in treating patients for heart attack and congestive heart failure, according to Premier, Inc.

###

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
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