ATS Medical Announces Participation in the 46th Annual Meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ATS Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATSI), manufacturer and marketer of state-of-the-art cardiac surgery products and services, today announced its participation in the 46th Annual Meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and related company-sponsored events.  The meeting is scheduled from January 25-27, 2010, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and serves as one of the year's key gatherings of cardiovascular surgeons from around the world.

(Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040202/ATSILOGO)

The Company is sponsoring a joint meeting with Intuitive Surgical entitled "Innovation Enables Progress: New Technologies Advancing Minimally Invasive and Robotic-Assisted Cardiac Surgery."  It will be held on Saturday, January 23rd at 6:30 pm (Eastern) at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina.  The program will focus on less invasive and robotic assisted cardiac procedures utilizing the ATS 3f® Aortic Bioprosthesis, the ATS Simulus® annuloplasty products and the ATS CryoMaze® Surgical Ablation System.  Each of these products have unique features that facilitate their use in less invasive procedures.  

ATS Medical continues to expand its cardiac surgery product portfolio, and this meeting provides an excellent opportunity to display its array of offerings for heart valve therapy and surgical ablation of cardiac arrhythmias. The ATS CryoMaze® System of probes and clamps for surgical cryoablation will be prominently featured.  Surgical treatment of cardiac arrhythmias is a topic of great interest for surgeons and increasing numbers find the ATS CryoMaze system to be their product of choice.  

The unique benefits of the ATS 3f® tissue valve products are generating enthusiasm and product demand among cardiac surgeons.  The ATS 3f® Aortic Bioprosthesis is being implanted by growing numbers of surgeons and is the basis for the next generation ATS 3f® Enable Aortic Bioprosthesis.  The Enable valve is the first surgical aortic valve replacement approved for commercial use that is implanted using a sutureless technique.  It recently received CE Mark approval to distribute in the European Union.  The Enable valve will be certain to generate excitement among the attendees at the STS meeting.

The ATS exhibit will also focus on the company's flagship ATS Open Pivot® mechanical heart valve franchise, including newly published longer-term clinical data showing excellent outcomes and low complication rates.  The ATS Simulus® annuloplasty product portfolio, used for the repair of the mitral valve, includes a full offering of flexible, semi-rigid and adjustable rings and bands.  This fast growing product line has been quickly adopted by many leading mitral repair centers in the United States.

Hands-on demonstrations of all the unique technologies from ATS Medical will be available at the ATS Medical booth #1023.

About ATS Medical

ATS Medical, Inc. is dedicated to 'Advancing The Standards' of cardiac surgery through the development, manufacturing and marketing of innovative products and services for the treatment of structural heart disease. ATS Medical serves the cardiac surgery community by focusing on two distinct but operationally synergistic market segments: heart valve disease therapy and surgical ablation of cardiac arrhythmias.

ATS was originally founded to develop the ATS Open Pivot® Heart Valve as a new mechanical heart valve standard of care. Today the ATS Open Pivot Heart Valve is the preferred mechanical heart valve in many markets around the world and the fastest growing mechanical prosthesis in the market. Building on this legacy and addressing the largest market segment in heart valve therapy, the ATS 3f® brand encompasses an innovative tissue heart valve portfolio to address conventional open surgery requirements as well as the growing demand for less invasive sutureless based procedures. The ATS 3f® portfolio includes offerings at various stages including early product development, pivotal clinical trials, and market commercialization. Completing the portfolio in heart valve therapy is the ATS Simulus® annuloplasty product line. Simulus products assist the surgeon in repairing a patient's native heart valve as an alternative to replacement. Continuing ATS Medical's focus on serving the cardiac surgery community are the ATS CryoMaze® products for surgical cryoablation of cardiac arrhythmias. ATS CryoMaze® products are used by surgeons to treat patients suffering from cardiac arrhythmias, the largest and fastest growing form of structural heart disease in populations over 60 years of age. The ATS Medical web site is http://www.atsmedical.com.

Cautionary Statements

This Press Release contains forward-looking statements that may include statements regarding intent, belief or current expectations of the Company and its management. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of important factors, including the results of clinical trials, the timing of regulatory approvals, the impact of pending healthcare reforms, regulatory actions, competition, pricing pressures, supplier actions and management of growth. For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties that could affect the Company's activities and results, please refer to the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 and its most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q.

SOURCE ATS Medical, Inc.