Press Release:

While there have been hundreds of artificial heart designs, only one artificial heart has withstood the rigors of the human body and regulatory approval… the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart. Today, it is the world’s only FDA, Health Canada and CE approved Total Artificial Heart.

TUCSON, Ariz. – Jan. 19, 2010 – SynCardia Systems, Inc., manufacturer of the SynCardia temporary CardioWest™ Total Artificial Heart, has announced the launch of its new website (www.syncardia.com) to educate visitors that the artificial heart isn’t science fiction: it’s real, it works and it’s saving lives.

A quick search for “artificial heart” on Google News will produce a multitude of articles. Results include artificial hearts designed with aircraft technology, 13 chamber artificial hearts that mimic a cockroach heart and fully-implantable designs requiring pounds of equipment to be surgically implanted into the patient’s chest and abdomen.

Hundreds of artificial heart designs have been created, tested and ultimately shelved. Only one artificial heart has withstood the rigors of the human body and regulatory approval… the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart. Today, it is the only FDA, Health Canada and CE approved Total Artificial Heart in the world. There have been more than
800 implants accounting for more than 180 patient years.

Andrzej Bielak was bridged-to-transplant after 544 days of life with the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart. He is pictured here post-transplant with his wife Anita at their home in Backnang, Germany, holding the Total Artificial Heart.

Visitors to SynCardia’s new website will find more than double the content, including:

• Clinical Experience: A presentation of data documenting the clinical success of the Total Artificial Heart as a bridge-to-transplant from some of the most reputable sources in medicine, including INTERMACS and the New England Journal of Medicine.


• Patient Stories: Through their own words and personal photos, 10 patients share their experiences being bridged-to-transplant with the Total Artificial Heart.


• Video Center: Featuring more than 20 videos, viewers can watch news stories, including a National Geographic multimedia feature, patient interviews, educational animations and more. 

SynCardia has submitted an application to the FDA to conduct an IDE clinical study in the U.S. of a new discharge driver. This wearable driver is designed to power the Total Artificial Heart outside the hospital so stable patients can wait for their matching donor heart at home. SynCardia has also applied for CE approval for use in Europe.

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About SynCardia Systems, Inc.

SynCardia Systems, Inc. is the Tucson-based manufacturer of the world’s only FDA, Health Canada and CE approved Total Artificial Heart: the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart. There have been more than 850 implants of the Total Artificial Heart, accounting for more than 190 patient years of life on the device. 

Originally used as a permanent replacement heart, the Total Artificial Heart is currently approved as a bridge to human heart transplant for people dying from end-stage biventricular failure. The Total Artificial Heart is the only device that provides immediate, safe blood flow of up to 9.5 L/min through both ventricles.

For additional information, please visit: http://www.syncardia.com
or follow SynCardia on Twitter – @SynCardia_News

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