Press Release:

Stuart W. Jamieson, M.B., F.R.C.S., Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery, UCSD Medical Center

TUCSON, Ariz. – Oct. 14, 2010 – SynCardia Systems, Inc. announced today that the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), led by Stuart W. Jamieson, M.B., F.R.C.S., Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery, will begin certification to implant the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart. Efforts to bring the Total Artificial Heart to UCSD were led by world renowned heart surgeon, Dr. Jack Copeland, who joined the faculty in July.

"One of my main goals is to help support the heart transplant and ventricular assist device program at UCSD," said Dr. Copeland. "Many patients who need a heart transplant won't live long enough to receive one. The Total Artificial Heart is the only device capable of saving even the sickest patients and bridging them to transplant. At UCSD, I hope to achieve, if not surpass, the level of success we experienced with the Total Artificial Heart at University Medical Center in Tucson."

Jack G. Copeland, M.D.

In 1990, UCSD performed its first heart transplant and has performed 180 overall with excellent results. In 2011, construction is expected to be completed for UCSD's new $227 million Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center, a 128,000-square-foot facility which will house heart and stroke care in one location. 

Prior to joining the faculty at UCSD, Dr. Copeland served as the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Arizona, where he performed more than 100 implants of the Total Artificial Heart. In 1979, Dr. Copeland performed the University of Arizona's first heart transplant. Since then, the program has performed more than 850 heart transplants.

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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