Healthcare Industry News: Ela Medical
News Release - January 22, 2007
Sorin Group Announces Successful First Human Implant of Uniquely-Designed Heart Valve Suitable for Percutaneous Procedures
MILAN, Italy--(HSMN NewsFeed)--The Sorin Group (MIL:SRN), a world leader in technologies for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, announces the successful implant of its first uniquely-designed heart valve suitable for percutaneous procedures. The implant was performed by Prof. Axel Haverich and his team at Medizinische Hochschule in Hannover, Germany. The 78-year-old patient, who was suffering from aortic heart valve stenosis, has already left intensive care and is recovering normally, according to his physicians."The ease with which the valve was implanted, without any use of sutures, allows for significant reduction in procedure time and corresponding patient risk," commented Prof. Haverich.
Thanks to its unique design - in which the securing structure is independent from the valve-supporting system -, the valve is self-securing and is in no way put under any stress, therefore overcoming the primary defects of other minimally-invasive valves currently being tested.
The success behind Sorin's heart valve lies in the Group's in-house competencies in stent research and development as well as its historic prominence in heart-valve development and production. The characteristics of the securing stent and the flexibility of the valve are designed to ensure optimal sealing and prevent perivalvular leakage, breaking new ground in the evolution of heart valves.
The particular biological valve itself used as part of "Sorin's Percutaneous Heart Valve Project" has a proven track record for its hemodynamic profile, reliability and durability over the past two decades and has never had any structural failures since it has been in use. Sorin is the only company in the world to use a heart valve that has been proven and accepted by the medical community worldwide in this particular context.
"Only the Sorin Group has the in-house know-how and strong tradition in research and development to create such a unique heart valve," said Drago Cerchiari, Sorin Group Chief Executive Officer. "We look forward to continuing to achieve our ultimate goal of offering high-quality, less invasive, life-saving medical technology and procedures across the globe."
About the Sorin Group
The Sorin Group (Bloomberg: SRN.IM; Reuters: SORN.MI), a world leader in the development of medical technologies for cardiac surgery, offers innovative therapies for cardiac rhythm dysfunctions, interventional cardiology and the treatment of chronic kidney diseases. The Sorin Group includes: Dideco, CarboMedics, Inc., COBE Cardiovascular, Inc., Stockert, Mitroflow, Ela Medical, Inc., Sorin Biomedica, Bellco and Soludia. It has more than 4,500 employees working at facilities in more than 80 countries throughout the world to serve over 5,000 public and private treatment centers. For more information, please visit: www.sorin.com
Source: Sorin Group
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