Press Release:

French Total Artificial Heart patient Christian Lediouron waits for a matching donor heart at home with his wife Karene and their two daughters, Sidney and Wendy, using the 13.5 lb Freedom portable driver.

TUCSON, Ariz. – Dec. 9, 2010 – SynCardia Systems, Inc. announced today that the Freedom® driver, the world's first wearable portable driver for powering the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart both inside and outside the hospital, now accounts for more than 1,200 days of patient life.

A total of 19 patients in the U.S., Europe and Australia have been supported by the Freedom driver. Groupe Hospitalier La Pitié-Salpêtrière in Paris, which leads all SynCardia Certified Centers worldwide in number of implants at 206, currently has two Total Artificial Heart patients discharged home while they wait for a matching donor heart.

Christian Lediouron: This 31-year-old husband and father of two was admitted to the hospital on May 8, 2010, suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy with an ejection fraction of only 10%. On May 17, doctors implanted the Total Artificial Heart as a lifesaving bridge to transplant until a donor heart becomes available. Approximately 5 weeks after the implant surgery, Mr. Lediouron's condition had stabilized and he was discharged from the hospital using the Freedom driver. Since returning home to his wife of 7 years, Karene, and their two young daughters, Sidney and Wendy, Mr. Lediouron says, "There is nothing better. I can work at home; play with my children; live like other normal people without difficulty." 

French Total Artificial Heart patient Antonio Amoussou was discharged from the hospital using the Freedom portable driver on July 5, 2010. He is currently waiting for a matching donor heart at home.

Antonio Amoussou: This 40-year-old business manager originally from Parakou, Benin, West Africa, was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 12, 2010, suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy. Just four days later, doctors implanted the Total Artificial Heart to save Mr. Amoussou's life until a matching donor heart becomes available. Since being discharged home with the Freedom driver, Mr. Amoussou says he has been exercising for up to 45 minutes at a time - walking as far as 3 km on the treadmill - as well as eating out at restaurants, going on long walks and doing laundry.

The Freedom driver has been CE approved for commercial use in Europe and is currently undergoing an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study in 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