Cardica's C-Port Anastomosis Systems Facilitate Beating Heart Bypass Surger...( - Beating Heart Bypass Surgery Perfo...),Health

- Beating Heart Bypass Surgery Performed at Significantly Reduced Cost at

Genesis Medical Center - - New Study Shows Greater than $1,650 Savings Per Procedure as Compared to

On-Pump Procedures -

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cardica, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRDC) and Genesis Medical Center today reported results from a six-month economic analysis comparing the cost of off-pump, "beating heart" coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures, which were performed using the C-Port(R) Distal Anastomosis Systems, with the cost of traditional on-pump CABG surgery. The study showed that beating heart CABG saved $1,684 per procedure, inclusive of the cost of the C-Port systems in the beating heart cases, compared to traditional bypass surgery.

"Importantly, with the C-Port systems we can reliably connect the graft vessels without stopping the heart, which improves patient outcomes, reduces costs and increases the pool of patients eligible for bypass surgery," said Dr. Nicholas Augelli, cardiovascular surgeon at Genesis Medical Center. "Before this study, the vast majority of CABG procedures at Genesis were performed on-pump. We have dramatically changed our practice after this study due to both the significant benefits to patients and reduced costs of beating heart CABG surgeries, and we are able to perform more beating heart procedures by using the C-Port system."

Genesis Medical Center in Davenport, Iowa conducted an economic analysis from July 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007 to evaluate the cost of traditional on-pump to off-pump CABG procedures using the C-Port systems and other ancillary products to enable off-pump CABG. Drs. Nicholas Augelli and Rober
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