2008 International Stroke Conference Highlights Impact of Merci Retrie...( MOUNTAIN VIEW Calif. Feb. 22 /- C...),Health

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Concentric Medical, Inc., the global leader in devices for clot removal in ischemic stroke patients, today announced that results from the use of its Merci Retrieval System(TM) were featured and discussed in seventeen separate presentations at the International Stroke Conference held in New Orleans, Louisiana, February 20-22, 2008. Positive clinical and economic results from the use of the Merci Retrieval System in patients suffering from acute ischemic stroke were discussed during five main podium presentations and more than 12 poster sessions over the three-day conference, which had more than 3,500 people in attendance.

And for the first time, a study performed at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center confirmed the positive economic impact of successfully restoring blood flow with the Merci Retriever(R). According to the American Stroke Association, stroke is estimated to cost the U.S. health care system in excess of $63 billion per year.

"The prevalence of the Merci Retrieval System at important scientific meetings like the International Stroke Conference is very gratifying," said Gary Curtis, President and CEO of Concentric Medical. "It underscores the progress Concentric has made in making the Merci Retrieval System a front-line approach to revascularizing patients with acute ischemic stroke."

As the first device cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for retrieval of clot in patients suffering from acute ischemic stroke, the Merci Retrieval System has been used on over 7,000 patients worldwide, making the Merci Retrieval System the most clinically accepted device of its kind.

About Concentric Medical

Concentric Medical is located in Mountain View, California, and was founded in August 1999. The company manufactures and markets the Merci Retrieval System, which is available in over 250 leading stroke centers around the world. For more informat
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