CardioMEMS Founder & CEO Dr. Jay Yadav Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist

ATLANTA, May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CardioMEMS, Inc., an Atlanta-based medical device company that has developed and is commercializing a proprietary wireless sensing and communication technology for the human body, announced today that its founder and CEO, Jay Yadav, M.D., is a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® award in the  Alabama/Georgia/Tennessee region.

Dr. Yadav, an interventional cardiologist, founded CardioMEMS in 2000 to develop new devices for the treatment of chronic cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure. Dr. Yadav's most recent success is the Champion™ Heart Failure Monitoring System, the first permanently implantable, wireless, battery-free device that provides crucial cardiac information from home for patients suffering from heart failure.  In 2010, CardioMEMS completed its clinical trial for the Champion System, demonstrating a 38% reduction in heart failure related hospitalizations.

The winner of the 25th annual Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Alabama/Georgia/Tennessee region will be announced at a black tie awards dinner to be held at the InterContinental Buckhead Hotel on June 23, 2011. The winner will be inducted into the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Hall of Fame and will become eligible for the national awards.  Recognized as the most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award has grown to 26 programs in the U.S., and in 50 countries. More information is located at www.ey.com.

About CardioMEMS, Inc.

CardioMEMS is a medical device company that has developed and is commercializing proprietary wireless sensing and communication technology for the human body. The company's technology platform is designed to improve the management of severe chronic cardiovascular diseases such as aneurysms, heart failure, and hypertension. CardioMEMS miniature wireless sensors can be implanted using minimally invasive techniques and transmit cardiac output, blood pressure and heart rate data, which are critical to the management of patients. The sensors are designed to be permanently implanted into the heart and blood vessels due to their small size, durability and lack of wires and batteries. Using radiofrequency (RF) energy, the sensors transmit real-time data to external electronic readers, which then communicate this information to the patient's physician. CardioMEMS developed this technology based on the belief that frequent, on-demand, real-time monitoring of vital information enables proactive patient management, which holds the promise of reducing hospitalizations, improving a patient's quality of life and delivering more efficient and cost effective health care. More information about CardioMEMS is located at www.cardiomems.com.

Statements made in this press release that look forward in time or that express beliefs, expectations or hopes regarding future occurrences or anticipated outcomes are forward-looking statements. A number of risks and uncertainties such as risks associated with product development and commercialization efforts, expected timing or results of any clinical trials, ultimate clinical outcome and perceived or actual advantages of the Company's products, market and physician acceptance of the products, intellectual property protection, and competitive offerings could cause actual events to adversely differ from the expectations indicated in these forward looking statements.

CardioMEMS and the CardioMEMS logo are registered trademarks of CardioMEMS, Inc. Champion is a trademark of CardioMEMS, Inc.

Caution: The Champion Heart Failure Monitoring system is an investigational device limited by federal law to investigational use.

SOURCE CardioMEMS, Inc.