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CardioWest(TM) Artificial Heart Chairman, Dr. Marvin J. Slepian, to Present at the 4th International Wine and Heart Health Summit

Posted on: Thursday, 15 February 2007, 09:01 CST

Dr. Marvin Slepian, co-founder and chairman of SynCardia Systems, Inc., will be presenting the CardioWest™ temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH-t) at the 4th International Wine and Heart Health summit at the Silverado Resort in Napa Valley, CA on February 17th.

The focus of the February conference is the effect of wine on cardiovascular health with emphasis on disease prevention. It also includes a session on landmark advances in medical technology during which Dr. Slepian will present, "Technology in Medicine: Development of the Artificial Heart."

"It is important for all medical professionals to know that the artificial heart is successfully being used as a bridge to transplant for transplant eligible patients dying from end stage biventricular failure," explained Dr. Slepian.

"The CardioWest™ TAH-t completely replaces the blood pumping function of the diseased heart. This device has proven to be a lifesaver, allowing patients to recuperate and regain their strength which more than doubles their odds of living another year."

A New England Journal of Medicine paper published on August 26, 2004 (NEJM 2004; 351: 859-867), states that in the pivotal clinical study of the TAH-t, the one year survival rate for patients receiving the CardioWest TAH-t was 70 percent versus 31 percent for control patients who did not receive the device.

The culmination of over forty years of research on Artificial Hearts initiated as a mandate during the Kennedy administration, the CardioWest™ TAH-t is still the first and only FDA and CE approved temporary Total Artificial Heart in the world. The TAH-t is available at 20 of the top transplant centers in the United States and Europe.

Source: Business Wire

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