Healthcare Industry News: vascular closure
News Release - August 28, 2009
St. Jude Medical Announces Opening of European Advanced Learning Center For Continuing Physician Education in Heart Disease Therapies
EBAC-accredited interventional EP curriculum is among offerings of the Brussels centerST. PAUL, Minn., Aug 28--(HSMN NewsFeed)--St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ ) today announced the official opening of the St. Jude Medical Advanced Learning Center, in Brussels, Belgium, offering education and training in advanced, evidence-based therapies for physicians who treat heart disease.
The center’s curricula include cardiac rhythm management (CRM), electrophysiology treatments of heart rhythm conditions, heart valve replacement and repair, vascular closure after interventional procedures and the repair of openings in the septum, the wall that separates the heart’s left and right sides. Presented in small groups and including simulations, the training programs are designed to increase physician familiarity and experience with various technologies and procedures.
“The opening of St. Jude Medical’s first Advanced Learning Center demonstrates our commitment to physicians as they seek to improve patient outcomes and lower risks,” said Denis Gestin, president of the St. Jude Medical International Division. “The training and hands-on experiences at the center will help develop physician knowledge and skills on the safe, effective use of St. Jude Medical products to enhance patient care.”
The center’s curriculum in interventional electrophysiology (EP) has received Continuing Medical Education (CME) accreditation from the European Board for Accreditation in Cardiology (EBAC). It is designed to train physicians in ablation therapy for the treatment of heart rhythm conditions. Prof. G. Hindricks, M.D., of Herzcentrum Leipzig in Leipzig, Germany and P. Della Bella, M.D., of Centro Cardiologico Monzino in Milan, Italy, are the center’s course directors for the Interventional EP Curriculum.
In addition to learning in instructional sessions, course participants gain first-hand experience in the use of St. Jude Medical advanced medical technology through innovative training tools. The center is equipped with virtual reality simulators that enable physicians to practice implanting leads in the left and right sides of the heart, ablating targeted heart tissues using EP procedures to treat abnormal heart rhythms and performing transseptal procedures. A wet lab allows physicians to increase effectiveness in valve replacement and repair, and a cardiac rhythm simulator lets physicians hone their skills in programming pacemakers, ICDs and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices.
“For physicians who treat heart disease, the arrival of new advanced technologies continuously challenges us to learn about them, gain hands-on experience and achieve control in their use,” said Peter T. Mortensen, M.D., of Skejby University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. “The St. Jude Medical Advanced Learning Center provides physicians with a new option for gaining valuable experience that, when used according to best practices, leads to improved patient outcomes in the clinic.”
About St. Jude Medical
St. Jude Medical develops medical technology and services that focus on putting more control into the hands of those who treat cardiac, neurological and chronic pain patients worldwide. The company is dedicated to advancing the practice of medicine by reducing risk wherever possible and contributing to successful outcomes for every patient. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., St. Jude Medical employs more than 15,000 people worldwide and has four major focus areas that include: cardiac rhythm management, atrial fibrillation, cardiovascular and neuromodulation. For more information, please visit sjm.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements include the expectations, plans and prospects for the Company, including potential clinical successes, anticipated regulatory approvals and future product launches, and projected revenues, margins, earnings and market shares. The statements made by the Company are based upon management’s current expectations and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include market conditions and other factors beyond the Company’s control and the risk factors and other cautionary statements described in the Company’s filings with the SEC, including those described in the Risk Factors and Cautionary Statements sections of the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended April 4, 2009 and July 4, 2009. The Company does not intend to update these statements and undertakes no duty to any person to provide any such update under any circumstance.
Source: St. Jude Medical
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