SAN FRANCISCO (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) April 30, 2007 -- Ventracor (ASX:VCR) announced today the presentation of summary clinical data of the first 100 patients implanted with the VentrAssist™ third generation left ventricular assist device (LVAD), an implantable blood pump designed for long term use in patients with advanced heart failure.

The VentrAssist has changed the lives of many people, and expanded the choices for treatment of end stage heart failure. Full results of the 33 patients enrolled in the CE Mark Bridge to Transplant trial showed a survival rate of around 85 percent

Since the first implant in 2003, we have learned much about patient selection and support, and we expect that future clinical trials will continue to show improvement in patient outcomes

We are proud to be showing the VentrAssist at the ISHLT, as well as strengthening our collaborative relationships with leading LVAD implanting centres, cardiologists and surgeons around the world. As we move into the key US Destination Therapy Trial and the pivotal Bridge to Transplant trials, those collaborative relationships will be a key to our future success.

There have now been 108 patients implanted with the VentrAssist, for over 50 patient years of support, and 42 patients currently supported, with the longest duration of two years and eight months. This is greater experience than all other third generation centrifugal LVADs combined. The VentrAssist is market released in Europe (CE Mark) and is the subject of two US clinical trials for Bridge to Transplant (BTT) and Destination Therapy (DT) indications.

Summary clinical data from the first 100 VentrAssist patients was presented today at a plenary session of the 2007 annual meeting of the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) by Professor Don Esmore of the Alfred Hospital, in Melbourne.

As a pioneer in the field of LVADs, Professor Esmore has the most clinical experience with and was the first surgeon in the world to implant the VentrAssist. A full copy of the presentation is available at www.ventracor.com.

“The VentrAssist has changed the lives of many people, and expanded the choices for treatment of end stage heart failure. Full results of the 33 patients enrolled in the CE Mark Bridge to Transplant trial showed a survival rate of around 85 percent,” Professor Esmore told the international audience of heart failure specialists.

“Since the first implant in 2003, we have learned much about patient selection and support, and we expect that future clinical trials will continue to show improvement in patient outcomes,” Professor Esmore added.

Ventracor CEO, Peter Crosby said, “We are proud to be showing the VentrAssist at the ISHLT, as well as strengthening our collaborative relationships with leading LVAD implanting centres, cardiologists and surgeons around the world. As we move into the key US Destination Therapy Trial and the pivotal Bridge to Transplant trials, those collaborative relationships will be a key to our future success.”

ISHLT attracts more than 3,000 medical professionals involved in the management and treatment of heart and lung transplant patients around the world. See www.ishlt.org for additional information.

Ventracor is a global medical device company which produces an implantable blood pump, the VentrAssist left ventricular assist device (LVAD), as therapy to improve the lives of heart failure patients and their families. Ventracor is dedicated to building partnerships with healthcare professionals to make the VentrAssist the standard-of-care worldwide.

Further information, please visit www.ventracor.com or contact Andrew Geddes, Manager Investor Relations + 61 2 9406 3086. In the United States, please contact Douglas MacDougall, MacDougall Biomedical Communications, +1(508)647-0209.

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ventracor ventrassist lvad heart transplant heart failure cardiac assist

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