Dear friend
1. This is the sixth sale of the VMS+ heart analysis system since we obtained FDA approval in late May last year. While selling 6 system in 10 months does not sound very fantastic, it is! The normal sell-cycle for a capital purchase by a hospital is 12 -18 months. Thus, these early sales to renown cardiologists are ahead of the curve.
2. We obviously are targeting the KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) as these are the people who give the keynote talks at major conferences and influence thousands of other cardiologists. The recent ACC conference allowed us to meet up with more KOLs and so we are pushing ahead with the process both in USA, Canada and Europe. Our Chinese partners are also putting together a KOL conference in China to drive awareness and sales.
3. You will read Ottawa Heart will be focused on valvular disease, which is becoming more and more common as the population ages, . The timing of when to intervene is critical as the replacement valve has a limited lifespan and so you do not want to put one in too early. On the other hand, the right heart does not “recover” easily like the left heart and so waiting too long means permanent heart damage and dysfunction even after a new valve is implanted. Monitoring the valves performance in the first year is also critical to determine if the valve was implanted correctly. If not it can malfunction and cause permanent heart problems.
4. I know you will join me and wishing the Ottawa Heart group, directed by Dr, Chan, the best in their efforts to better define when to replace a valve and how to be sure it is working properly.
