ATS Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATSI), manufacturer and marketer of state-of-the-art cardiac surgery products and services announced a number of professional educational opportunities that will focus on ATS Medical products at the upcoming European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons (EACTS) meeting. The EACTS meeting is a key gathering of cardiovascular surgeons from around the world and is being held in Vienna, Austria, on October 17-21, 2009.
The ATS Medical booth exhibition will highlight the entire portfolio of innovative products for cardiac surgeons and their patients. The ATS 3f® Aortic Bioprosthesis will be the focus of an EACTS Satellite Symposium entitled, "The ATS 3f Revolution" that will be moderated by Sven Martens, MD, of the JW Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, on October 20th. The Symposium will include presentations on the early experience with the ATS 3f Aortic Bioprosthesis in Australia, the European experience with the sutureless ATS 3f Enable® Aortic Bioprosthesis, as well as a unique application of the ATS 3f Aortic Bioprosthesis in a "biological Bentall" procedure in which the patient's aortic valve is replaced with the 3f Aortic Bioprosthesis and a portion of the diseased aorta is replaced with a synthetic conduit. It is estimated that Bentall procedures account for approximately 4-5% of aortic replacements presenting a new surgical application for the ATS 3f valve.
The Company will also be hosting an EACTS Satellite Symposium on October 19th entitled, "Frontiers In Cryoablation: Cryosurgery for the Treatment of Cardiac Arrhythmia" and moderated by Friedrich Mohr, MD, PhD, from the University of Leipzig Heart Center. The Symposium will focus on the newest techniques for completing the Cox CryoMaze III lesion set in concomitant and stand-alone procedures. Eva Berglin, MD, PhD, from Sahlgrenska University, Gothenberg, Sweden, will address attendees at the ATS exhibition booth on October 19th during a presentation entitled, "The Concomitant CryoMaze Procedure; the Sahlgrenska Experience." Niv Ad, MD, from Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia, will present "The Surgical Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation: Minimally Invasive CryoMaze III Without Aortic Cross Clamp" on October 20th.
ATS exhibition will include the ATS CryoMaze® 10-S Probe which recently received regulatory approval in Europe. This device complements the current product offering by adding a linear cryoablation probe that is more rigid than the current ATS CryoMaze Probes. The increased support throughout the length of the 10-S probe addresses the preference of some surgeons to have more probe leverage to achieve contact with targeted tissue that is difficult to reach. In addition, the increased stiffness of the ATS CryoMaze 10-S Probe will optimize the shape retention of the malleable probe which is particularly useful in minimally invasive procedures. Ablation therapy is a key contributor to the growth of ATS.
The ATS Open Pivot® Heart Valves will be highlighted during an in-booth presentation entitled "Fifteen-Year Single-Center Experience with the ATS Open Pivot Mechanical Heart Valve" by Professor Guido Van Nooten from the University Hospital Ghent on October 19th. The unique Open Pivot design is a fundamentally different mechanical valve resulting in exceptional performance and a low risk profile.
Martin Grapow, MD, from the University Hospital Basel, will present his "Single Center Clinical Experience with the ATS Simulus® Semi-Rigid Annuloplasty Ring" on October 20th at the ATS Medical exhibition booth. The ATS Simulus® Semi-Rigid products are the newest addition to the Company's expanding line of annuloplasty products which provide new options for physiological repair.
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