Cardica's C-Port(R) Flex A Anastomosis System Allows Surgeons to Perform Revolutionary Closed-Chest Heart Bypass...( - World's First Closed-Chest Procedur...)

- World's First Closed-Chest Procedures with Cardica's C-Port Flex A System

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REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cardica, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRDC) today announced that two independent groups of leading cardiothoracic surgeons performed ground-breaking minimally-invasive, closed-chest bypass procedures using Cardica's C-Port Flex A Anastomosis System and Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci robot. The C-Port Flex A system, a fully-automated, flexible shaft device, automates the attachment, or anastomosis, of a blood vessel graft to a coronary artery during bypass surgery.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070905/AQW040 )

For the first time during a totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass procedure, Marc R. Katz, M.D. and his team at Bon Secours Saint Mary's Hospital in Richmond, Virginia used the C-Port Flex A system to connect a bypass graft, to the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. The patient was released from the hospital two days following the minimally-invasive bypass procedure and already is participating in routine daily activities.

Following the successful completion of the closed-chest bypass procedure, Dr. Katz said, "The Flex A system has the potential to revolutionize the field of cardiothoracic surgery, as it enhances closed-chest, robot-assisted bypass procedures. Minimally-invasive bypass surgeries produce better patient outcomes, and substantially reduce pain and trauma and provide a quicker return to normal functionality for the patient." More information on Dr. Katz's robotic procedures can be found at