Press Release:

TUCSON, Ariz. – Oct. 28, 2010 – SynCardia Systems, Inc. announced today that Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and University of Iowa (UI) Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa, have begun certification to implant the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart. Brigham and Women's will complete Phase I of certification on Nov. 1 & 2, and UI Hospitals and Clinics completed Phase I on Oct. 21 & 22.

• Brigham and Women's Hospital:
  Brigham and Women's is ranked #7 among the Best Hospitals in Heart and Heart Surgery by U.S. News & World Report. The heart transplantation program is the oldest and largest in New England. Since performing the region's first heart transplant in 1984, Brigham and Women's has performed over 500 heart transplants, more than any other program in the region. The hospital now follows the largest population of patients surviving heart transplantation.
  
  
• UI Hospitals and Clinics:
  In 2009, UI Hospitals and Clinics performed 18 heart transplants and achieved a one-year survival rate of 100%. The hospital's median waiting time for a heart transplant is approximately 9 months. Since 2009, UI Hospitals and Clinics have implanted 22 ventricular assist devices and have discharged 18 of these patients to enjoy life at home. 

Currently, there are 13 SynCardia Certified Centers in the U.S., with an additional 9 U.S. hospitals undergoing certification. Around the world, there are 33 SynCardia Certified Centers, with an additional 15 international centers undergoing certification. SynCardia Certified Centers are located in Germany, Italy, France, Australia, Russia, Austria, Turkey, Sweden and Canada and the U.S.

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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