December 27, 2007 - Cardica Inc. announced that leading cardiac surgeons from The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano and Centennial Medical Center in Nashville will webcast a live off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedure as well as a for approximately 75-minute live webcast will be available on http://www.or-live.com/ on Thursday, Jan.17, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
During the webcast, Michael J. Mack, M.D., and Tung H. Cai, M.D. of The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano, will perform a beating heart procedure using Cardica's C-Port xA and C-Port Flex A Distal Anastomosis Systems. The innovative C-Port anastomosis systems are designed to allow surgeons to automate the attachment of blood vessel grafts, replacing traditional hand- sewn with sutures.
In addition to the live surgery, Louis A. (Trey) Brunsting III, M.D., cardiothoracic surgeon at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, will present recently taped video footage that shows a robotic closed-chest bypass procedure using the C-Port Flex A system in combination with the Intuitive da Vinci(R) Surgical System. This procedure was done on a 56-year-old male patient with a blockage of his left anterior descending and diagonal vessels. To date, Dr. Brunsting has performed several closed chest procedures using the Cardica device.
Dr. Brunsting and Husam H. Balkhy, M.D., chairman of the department of cardiac surgery of the Wisconsin Heart Hospital will narrate during the procedures, explaining critical aspects of the surgery, and will answer viewers' email questions. Dr. Balkhy also will review data recently presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions evaluating the patency, or openness, of bypass grafts connecting the internal mammary artery (IMA) to the left anterior descending (LAD) artery using C-Port systems during beating heart CABG surgery. We believe this particular type of bypass is vital to the development of robotic, closed-chest bypass procedures, and therefore proving its efficacy in open-chest procedures is critical.
According to Dr. Mack, "Cardica’s C-Port systems represent a breakthrough in distal anastomotic devices that facilitate and simplify beating heart and robotic CABG procedures. These devices allow surgeons to offer patients less invasive cardiac surgery and may improve outcomes. This live webcast will provide surgeons with a convenient forum for an interactive exchange of questions, ideas and opinions about these revolutionary devices."
"The C-Port Flex A system has the potential to revolutionize the field of cardiothoracic surgery, as it may enable closed-chest, robot-assisted CABG procedures to be more reliably performed without the assistance of cardiopulmonary bypass and cardioplegic arrest of the heart," added Dr. Brunsting.
To learn more about the live webcast or to register, visit http://www.or-live.com/Cardica/2201. Physicians, investors, media and other interested parties are welcome.
For more information: http://www.baylorhealth.com/locations/planohearthospital and www.centennialmedicalcenter.com