| Tucson, Ariz. – Sept. 19, 2007 – On August 27 and 28, the heart transplant team from Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, which included Dr. Lars Wiklund, chief of cardiothoracic surgery, and cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Ulf Kjellman, received the first phase of certification training in Berlin to implant the CardioWest™ temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH-t).
Sahlgrenska University Hospital is the largest hospital in northern Europe, with more than 2,700 beds and 140 departments. Sweden will join Germany, France and Austria as the fourth European country with a hospital certified to implant the only FDA and CE approved temporary artificial heart in the world.
Today there are 22 TAH-t certified centers, 11 in the U.S. and 11 in Europe. Sahlgrenska University Hospital is the 12th hospital in Europe, and the 25th center in the world to complete the first phase of TAH-t certification training.
The CardioWest TAH-t is approved as a bridge to transplant for patients dying from end stage biventricular failure. Their survival depends on receiving a donor heart, or a TAH-t as a bridge to transplant.
A pivotal clinical study of the TAH-t published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM 2004; 351: 859-867) showed that 79 percent of patients receiving the TAH-t survived to transplant, the highest survival rate for any device in the world.
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Media Contact:
SynCardia Systems, Inc.
Director of Communications
Don Isaacs
cell: 520-955-0660
About the CardioWest™ temporary Total Artificial
Heart
The CardioWest™ TAH‑t is a pneumatic, biventricular, implantable bridge-to-transplant
system for full cardiac replacement, taking the place of the failing heart in
patients at imminent risk of death. The device offers full circulatory support,
the shortest blood path and exposure to artificial surfaces, and the highest level
of cardiac output when compared with other artificial heart systems previously
tested. With the CardioWest™ TAH‑t, patients become better candidates for
eventual transplantation and have post-transplant survival rates equal to that
of non-device cardiac recipients.
About SynCardia Systems
Founded in 2001, SynCardia Systems is the developer of biomechanical cardiac replacement
and assist devices. Its CardioWest™ temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH‑t)
is designed for severely ill patients with end-stage congestive heart failure.
The device serves as an in-hospital bridge-to-transplantation for patients at
imminent risk of death. SynCardia Systems is based in Tucson, Arizona and is on
the Web at http://www.syncardia.com.
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