December 10, 2007 - Cardica Inc. announced that leading cardiac surgeons from The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano and Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, TN would Web cast a live off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedure on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. EST.
The approximately 75-minute live Web cast will be available at http://www.OR-Live.com. A replay will be available for 180 days following the live presentation.
During the Web cast, 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 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, TN, 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 da Vinci 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.
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 Web cast will provide surgeons with a convenient forum for an interactive exchange of questions, ideas and opinions about these revolutionary devices."
For more information: www.or-live.com/Cardica/2201