[PFO is the hole in the heart wall that has attracted attention recently due to the stroke suffered by NE Patriots’ star, Tedy Bruschi (#msg-5789948). NMTI’s PFO procedure has been refined to leave behind only 10% of the original material (the other 90% is bio-absorbable). However, Cierra, a private company, goes one better by closing the PFO without open-heart surgery and without leaving any foreign material behind.]
>> Cierra, Inc. Reports First Successful 'Non-Implant' Cardiac Catheter PFO Closure
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 18, 2005--Cierra, Inc. announces the successful treatment of the first set of patients with their groundbreaking PFX(TM) Closure System for the treatment and closure of Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO). The Cierra PFX(TM) system is the first catheter based treatment in the world to close PFO without leaving behind a permanent implant.
A PFO is a valve-like opening between the right and left atrial chambers of the heart which usually closes shortly after birth. This opening persists into adulthood in approximately 25 percent of the population. PFO are believed to allow blood clots, which would normally be filtered by circulation through the lungs, to cause stroke, paradoxical embolization, or Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIA). PFO are one of the leading causes of stroke in young patients and have also been linked to migraine headaches.
The procedure involves threading a small tube or catheter into the right side of the heart and applying energy to close the PFO.
Professor Dr. Horst Sievert (info@cvcfrankfurt.de), Director of the CardioVascular Center Frankfurt, Sankt Katharinen in Germany, and principal investigator of the study, successfully completed the PFX procedure in six patients over two days. Professor Sievert noted that "This is a major breakthrough in interventional cardiology. For the first time it is possible to close a heart defect by catheter techniques without leaving anything behind."
Erik Engelson, President and CEO of Cierra, said, "We were pleased with both the high success rate and the repeatable, short procedure times in this first series of patients."
Headquartered in Redwood City, CA, Cierra, Inc. is a medical device company focused on minimally invasive treatment of heart conditions. Cierra is the seventh portfolio company from the medical device incubator, The Foundry (www.the-foundry.com), and is privately held. <<
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