SynCardia Wins Copper Cactus Award for Innovation and Two Best in Biz Awards

TUCSON, Ariz., Nov. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- SynCardia Systems, Inc. (www.syncardia.com), manufacturer of the world's first and only FDA, Health Canada and CE (Europe) approved Total Artificial Heart, announced today that it has been honored with three awards in November.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121129/LA20709)

Best in Biz Awards, announced Nov. 12

• Best New Product of the Year
  Gold Winner: Freedom® portable driver
  The Freedom portable driver is the world's first wearable power supply for the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart. Weighing 13.5 pounds, the Freedom portable driver allows stable Total Artificial Heart patients who meet discharge criteria to wait for a matching donor heart at home and in their communities instead of in the hospital.
• Executive of the Year
  Silver Winner: Michael Garippa, SynCardia Chairman/CEO/President
  Although many companies in the mechanical circulatory support industry are struggling to be profitable, SynCardia's implants, revenue and profit for the first 9 months of 2012 have exceeded the company's best 12-month totals to date. In 2012, SynCardia is on track to achieve nearly 500% growth over 2009 thanks to Mr. Garippa's leadership.

Winners were selected from more than 400 entries by an independent panel of 32 judges from top-tier news, business and technology publications, broadcast outlets and analyst firms, including ABC, Businessweek, Entrepreneur, Forbes, FOX News and USA Today.

Copper Cactus Awards, announced Nov. 13

• Nextrio Innovation through Technology Winner
  As part of the Copper Cactus Awards presented by the Tucson Chamber of Commerce, SynCardia was honored for exceptional innovation through technology for its Freedom portable driver.

Since 2011, SynCardia has been honored with more than a dozen prestigious awards for its accomplishments in the fields of business, medicine and technology, including being ranked #20 among the "World's 50 Most Innovative Companies" by Fast Company Magazine and among "America's Most Promising Companies" by Forbes Magazine.

The Freedom portable driver is CE approved for use in Europe and undergoing an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study in the U.S.

CAUTION – The Freedom portable driver is an investigational device, limited by United States law to investigational use.

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Follow SynCardia on Twitter – http://twitter.com/SynCardia 
Connect with SynCardia on http://www.linkedin.com/company/syncardia-systems-inc.

About the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart
SynCardia Systems, Inc. (Tucson, AZ) is the privately-held manufacturer of the world's first and only FDA, Health Canada and CE approved Total Artificial Heart. Originally used as a permanent replacement heart… read more

SOURCE SynCardia Systems, Inc.