CryoLife To Host Aortic Valve and Root Training Session

ATLANTA, Sept. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CryoLife, Inc. (NYSE: CRY), a leading tissue processing and medical device Company focused on cardiac and vascular surgery, announced today that it will host an Aortic Valve and Root "Boot Camp" training session on September 18-20, 2013 at CryoLife's training facility at its corporate headquarters in suburban Atlanta. The course directors for the training session will be William F. Northrup III, MD, vice president of physician relations and education at CryoLife, and George L. Hicks Jr., MD, Chief of Cardiac Surgery and Professor of Surgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York and immediate past president of the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association.

The Aortic Valve and Root "Boot Camp" training session, which is expected to be attended by 32 residents from official Cardiothoracic Surgery training programs who have been selected by the program directors, will focus on four areas of training:

• Aortic Root Anatomy, AVR, Annulus Enlargement and Myectomy
• Aortic Repair and Valve-Sparing
• Aortic Root Replacement
• Pulmonary Autograft Replacement (Ross Procedure)

The program will include 12 internationally recognized academic faculty members from prestigious American Universities.  A full list of faculty and event details can be found at http://www.cryolife.com/physician-education/aortic-valve-and-root-boot-camp.

Steven G. Anderson, chairman, president and CEO of CryoLife, said, "Physician education programs such as the Aortic Valve and Root Boot Camp are a key component of our strategy to build strong relationships with our surgeon customers. Each year we educate hundreds of physicians and healthcare professionals through sophisticated programs covering our tissue and medical device products. Programs such as this will allow the next generation of cardiac surgeons to become familiar with our tissue products and learn advanced surgical techniques required for complex cardiac repair from a faculty of leading surgeons from around the country."

About CryoLife, Inc.

Founded in 1984, CryoLife, Inc. is a leader in the processing and distribution of implantable living human tissues for use in cardiac and vascular surgeries throughout the U.S., certain countries in Europa, and Canada.  CryoLife's CryoValve^® SG pulmonary heart valve, processed using CryoLife's proprietary SynerGraft^® technology, has FDA 510(k) clearance for the replacement of diseased, damaged, malformed, or malfunctioning native or prosthetic pulmonary valves.  CryoLife's CryoPatch^® SG pulmonary cardiac patch has FDA 510(k) clearance for the repair or reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT), which is a surgery commonly performed in children with congenital heart defects, such as Tetralogy of Fallot, Truncus Arteriosus, and Pulmonary Atresia.  CryoPatch SG is distributed in three anatomic configurations: pulmonary hemi-artery, pulmonary trunk, and pulmonary branch.  CryoLife's BioGlue^® Surgical Adhesive is FDA approved as an adjunct to sutures and staples for use in adult patients in open surgical repair of large vessels.  BioGlue is also CE marked in the European Community for use in soft tissue repair and was recently approved in Japan for use in the repair of aortic dissections.  Additional marketing approvals for BioGlue have been granted in several other countries throughout the world.  CryoLife, through its subsidiary Cardiogenesis Corporation, specializes in the treatment of coronary artery disease for severe angina using a laser console system and single use, fiber-optic handpieces to perform a surgical procedure known as Transmyocardial Revascularization (TMR).  In addition, CryoLife and its subsidiary Hemosphere, Inc. market the HeRO^® Graft, which is a solution for end-stage renal disease in certain hemodialysis patients.  CryoLife distributes PerClot^®, an absorbable powder hemostat, in the European Community and other select international countries.  CryoLife's BioFoam^™ Surgical Matrix is CE marked in the European Community for use as an adjunct in the sealing of abdominal parenchymal tissues (liver and spleen) when cessation of bleeding by ligature or other conventional methods is ineffective or impractical. 

For additional information about CryoLife, visit CryoLife's website, www.cryolife.com.

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SOURCE CryoLife, Inc.