Press Release:

Dr. Matthias Loebe, Surgical Director of the Heart & Lung Transplant Program, Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center

TUCSON, Ariz. – July 13, 2010 – On July 8 & 9, the 13-member surgical team from the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center in Houston, led by Dr. Matthias Loebe, Surgical Director of the Heart & Lung Transplant Program, completed the first phase of certification training to implant the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart.

“Our hospital currently offers 10 different mechanical circulatory support devices for heart failure patients, but there is only one approved Total Artificial Heart,” said Dr. Loebe. “It is the only device that allows us to replace both the left and right failing heart ventricles. The Total Artificial Heart will allow us to bridge patients to transplant who would’ve otherwise been out of treatment options.”

The Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center performs more than 1,500 operations annually. In 2009, Methodist performed 23 heart transplants, 8 heart-lung transplants and 26 left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implants. The center was ranked 19th in the nation for Heart/Heart Surgery by U.S. News & World Report for 2009-2010.

Dr. Loebe is an internationally acclaimed researcher and surgeon, who has authored or co-authored more than 200 articles and actively contributes to numerous research studies. He completed residencies in the Department of Surgery at Hannover Medical School and the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at the German Heart Institute in Berlin. Both hospitals are current SynCardia Certified Centers. Dr. Loebe also completed a Cardiac Surgery Fellowship at the German Heart Institute and served as the Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery there from 1995-2000.

The Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center is located in The Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center in Houston. It has 10 operating rooms, eight catheterization labs, 154 acute-care beds, 48 ICU beds and 30 transplant beds. The center receives more than $15 million in research support annually, from sources including the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association. In 1987, the Methodist Hospital was recognized as the first Medicare-designated heart transplant center in Texas and one of the first seven in the country.

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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.

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