MAQUET Cardiovascular Announces Results From Large Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery Study Showing Favorable Results for Endoscopic Vessel Harvesting Technology

WAYNE, N.J., March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC, a leading provider of cardiovascular technologies, today announced that study results published in the January 2010 Annals of Thoracic Surgery demonstrated that coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients who undergo Endoscopic Vessel Harvesting (EVH) demonstrate similar long-term clinical outcomes as patients who undergo traditional "open" vein harvest (OVH) but have significantly reduced rates of leg infection.

These findings are based on observational data from 5,825 heart surgery patients whose saphenous vein bypass grafts were obtained using MAQUET's EVH VASOVIEW technology  (short, approximate 1" length incision) or OVH (continuous, longitudinal incision, or multiple smaller "bridging" incisions) at Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, between June 1, 1998, and May 31, 2007.  The results of this study add to the large body of clinical data that EVH offers significant patient benefits, including faster healing, less postoperative pain and scarring, and reduced risk of wound complications.

"The objective of this study was to assess the impact that EVH has on outcomes following CABG in a large sample of patients who were followed for an average of 2.5 years," said Imtiaz Ali, M.D., principal investigator of the study and staff surgeon at Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre.  "The short-term benefits of EVH are well documented. The absence of any association between EVH and poor long-term survival and cardiac events in our study indicates that EVH is safe and does not compromise outcomes in the long run."

"This well-designed and conducted study of the VASOVIEW Endoscopic Vessel Harvesting System demonstrates the clinical value of a technology and procedure that we have been committed to continually improving over the past decade for the benefit of patients undergoing cardiac surgery," said Patrick Walsh, President of MAQUET Cardiovascular's  Cardiac Surgery Business Unit.  "Continued investment in areas that improve patient outcomes is a high-priority for MAQUET."

About EVH

In EVH, a healthy blood vessel, such as the saphenous vein from the leg or the radial artery from the arm, is removed through a small incision for use during CABG surgery to bypass a blockage in the heart.  Open vein harvesting requires a lengthy incision that is often extremely painful and prone to healing complications.  EVH is considered a standard of care in the United States, with 80 percent of all CABG surgeries utilizing this technique.

About MAQUET Cardiovascular

MAQUET Cardiovascular is a leader in providing innovative products for cardiac surgery, vascular intervention and cardiac support to hospitals and clinics and the cardiac surgeons, interventional cardiologists, perfusionists and other healthcare professionals who care for patients with cardiovascular disease. MAQUET Cardiovascular is focused on providing clinicians with future-oriented technology that fits into their daily practice and improves the therapeutic management of patients. MAQUET Cardiovascular continues to invest in the development of innovative technologies and solutions that advance clinical practice, improve patient outcomes and enhance quality of life.

MAQUET Cardiovascular was formed in 2003 when MAQUET, the world's leading medical technology company, combined its existing Cardiopulmonary business with Jostra's equipment and consumables for open heart surgery and Siemens Life Support Systems, which the publicly-listed Swedish GETINGE Group acquired in 2003. In 2008, MAQUET added the Cardiac Surgery and Vascular Interventions businesses acquired by GETINGE from Boston Scientific and Guidant. In 2009, it added the cardiac assist businesses that GETINGE acquired from Datascope. MAQUET Cardiovascular provides healthcare professionals with products in four business units: Cardiopulmonary (perfusion products), Cardiac Surgery (clampless beating heart and endoscopic vessel harvesting), Vascular Interventions (grafts for vascular surgery), and Cardiac Assist (intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation therapy).

About The MAQUET Group

The MAQUET Group is the global market leader for Medical Systems, focusing on the Operating Room (OR) and Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The integrated products of MAQUET are specially designed to deliver optimal clinical treatment and therapy concepts within acute care hospitals. MAQUET provides innovative medical solutions from three Divisions:

• Cardiovascular -- with products for cardiac assist (intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation therapy), coronary artery bypass surgery, aneurysm and vascular repair, peripheral interventions and extracorporeal circulation
• Critical Care -- for intensive care ventilators and anesthesia machines
• Surgical Workplaces -- for OR tables, lights and ceiling service units, prefabricated OR and ICU suites as well as telemedicine for the OR integration.

MAQUET is a subsidiary of the publicly-listed Swedish GETINGE GROUP, a company with over $2.8 billion in revenues (2008 fiscal year) and 12,800 employees worldwide. In 2008 MAQUET itself generated pro-forma revenues (including the acquisition of Datascope Corp.) of over $1.4 billion. The company now has 5,000 employees in 34 international sales and service organizations, as well as a network of more than 200 sales representatives.

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SOURCE MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC