CryoLife To Host Central Venous Pathology Summit

ATLANTA, April 8, 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 a Central Venous Pathology (CVP) Summit on April 18-19, 2013 at CryoLife's training facility at its corporate headquarters in suburban Atlanta and at the St. Joseph Translational Research Institute in Atlanta, Georgia.  The CVP Summit will be led by William Northrup III, MD, vice president of physician relations and education at CryoLife, and Marc H. Glickman, MD, FACS, chief of vascular surgery, Sentara Healthcare.

The CVP Summit will examine treatment strategies for durable hemodialysis access in cases of central venous pathology through an interactive, data-driven and clinically-focused didactic and hands-on wet lab practicum.  It will feature in-depth sessions on the HeRO^® (Hemodialysis Reliable Outflow) Graft, including clinical presentations and a live implantation.  CryoLife has also invited several private companies with emerging technology related to central venous stenosis and durable hemodialysis access to make presentations at the Summit.  Approximately 75 physicians and dialysis therapy professionals are scheduled to attend the two-day event.

"The CVP Summit is an excellent forum for vascular surgeons and related healthcare providers to get a hands-on opportunity to learn about the most recent developments in the treatment of patients with end-stage renal disease," said Dr. William Northrup III.  "CryoLife is committed to providing our customers with high quality educational programs and we are fortunate to have a multi-disciplinary faculty of experts and several innovative private companies contributing to the program. A key focus of the program will be a clinical and practical update on the HeRO Graft, our proprietary graft-based solution for end-stage renal disease hemodialysis patients with limited access options and central venous obstruction."

Additional Faculty include Jeffrey H. Lawson, MD, PhD, Vascular Surgeon Professor of Surgery, Director of Vascular Research Laboratory, Duke University Medical Center, Shawn M. Gage, PA-C, AAPA, AASPA, PAEA, Senior Physician Assistant, Vascular Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Jack Work, MD, Interventional Nephrologist, Professor of Medicine, Emory Healthcare, Dialysis Center of Atlanta, and Stephen E. Hohmann, MD, FACS Vascular Surgeon, Baylor Heart and Vascular Hospital. A full faculty list and summit agenda can be found at www.cryolife.com/physician-education/central-venous-pathology-summit.

"Since acquiring the HeRO Graft in May 2012, we have received strong interest in the technology from vascular surgeons and nephrologists looking for treatment alternatives for hemodialysis patients with limited access options," noted Steven G. Anderson, chairman, president and CEO of CryoLife. "The HeRO Graft is a unique solution for hemodialysis patients that has benefits for both patients and payors.  It provides alternative access for patients with blocked or damaged central veins and has been shown to lower infection rates and provide enhanced hemodialysis as compared to tunneled dialysis catheters.  The CVP Summit, which is our first large-scale educational event focused on the HeRO Graft, provides us with the opportunity to introduce the technology to potential new users and help drive product adoption."

About CryoLife

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 Europe, 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 congenital heart defects.  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 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 to hemostasis in cardiovascular surgery and on abdominal parenchymal tissues (liver and spleen) when control of bleeding by ligature or conventional methods is ineffective or impractical.

Statements made in this press release that look forward in time or that express management's beliefs, expectations or hopes are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Such forward-looking statements reflect the views of management at the time such statements are made and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, estimates, and assumptions that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.  These statements include those regarding the ability of the CVP Summit to provide us with the opportunity to introduce our HeRO Graft technology to potential new users and to help drive product adoption.  These risks and uncertainties include that our ability to obtain new HeRO Graft users and to drive product adoption is dependent upon patient and physician acceptance of HeRO Graft as a safe and effective product for use in hemodialysis patients.  The HeRO Graft is intended for use in maintaining long-term vascular access for chronic hemodialysis patients who have exhausted peripheral venous access sites suitable for fistulas and grafts.  In addition, competitors may develop and market products and services that are perceived as being better suited, more cost effective or safer than HeRO Graft, and regulators, including the FDA, may impose additional requirements on us to allow us to continue to market it.  Management's plans regarding the marketing and distribution of HeRO Graft are subject to change based on management's assessment of the overall needs of our company at the time.  CryoLife is also subject to the general risks associated with our business, including the risk factors detailed in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012.  CryoLife does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements.

For additional information about the company, visit CryoLife's Web site: 
http://www.cryolife.com.

SOURCE CryoLife, Inc.