The Boston Scientific Close the Gap Crossroads Classic Brings A Healthy Heart Message To Basketball Fans

NATICK, Mass., Dec.12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) health equity initiative, Close the Gap, will once again be the title sponsor of the Crossroads Classic, one of the premier non-conference events in college basketball.  The Close the Gap Crossroads Classic brings together the four most-storied college basketball programs in the state of Indiana: Butler University, Indiana University, University of Notre Dame and Purdue University.  The second annual Close the Gap Crossroads Classic will be held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Saturday, December 15, 2012.

"Close the Gap became the title sponsor of Crossroads Classic to educate the millions of basketball fans about the importance of heart health," said Mariana Rodrigues, national director of Close the Gap at Boston Scientific.   "Knowing the risk factors for heart disease may help someone watching the game take control of their health.  We encourage people to take action, check in with their doctors and adopt healthy lifestyles." 

Several approaches will be taken to raise awareness of heart disease:

• Fans can meet the Close the Gap team and hospital partner, Indiana University Health (IUH), to learn how to prevent or reduce the chances of developing heart disease
• Dr. Nathan Lambert of IUH will answer medical-related questions or concerns at the Close the Gap booth
• Fans at the game will have chances to win prizes when they play a text contest about heart disease
• The back cover of the game's roster will be an educational piece
• A Close the Gap public service announcement will air during each game
• Educational banners and decals will be displayed throughout the arena

"We want our fans to live long, healthy lives and enjoy as many college basketball games as they can," said Morgan Burke, director of Athletics at Purdue University. "In Indiana, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among both men and women and affects all racial and ethnic groups.  By partnering with Close the Gap, we can show we care about our fans beyond the basketball court, by educating them about heart disease and how to prevent and treat the No. 1 killer of Americans."

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), a form of heart disease, tragically takes the life of a young competitive athlete every three days in the United States.ⁱ Most victims are male^{ii iii} and more than two thirds of young athletes who die suddenly are basketball and football players^iv.  Indiana residents have some of the highest risk factors for heart disease in the United States.  For example, 21 percent of people who live in the state smoke whereas the national average is 17 percent; 66 percent are overweight or obese while the national average is 64 percent.^v   

In response, Close the Gap educates men and women on the importance of knowing their risk factors for heart disease, talking to their doctors and taking charge of their heart health. The initiative highlights risk factors that can be controlled: tobacco smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and being overweight, physical inactivity and Type 2 diabetes.^vi The educational initiative also supports screening for SCA in young athletes and sponsors courses in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

The four games will be nationally televised. Indiana University will play Butler University at 2 p.m. ET, which will be televised on CBS; Purdue University will play University of Notre Dame at 4:30 p.m. ET, which will be televised on ESPN2.

About Close the Gap
Close the Gap is Boston Scientific's health equity initiative.  The program helps to ensure all patients have access to high quality cardiac care regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity or primary language.  Close the Gap supports educational outreach programs in communities across the United States in partnership with health care providers, professional societies and patient advocacy groups.

For more information on Close the Gap, visit www.your-heart-health.com.  Follow news and event updates on Facebook and Twitter at @YourHeartHealth.

About Boston Scientific
Boston Scientific is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices that are used in a broad range of interventional medical specialties.  For more information, please visit: www.bostonscientific.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  Forward-looking statements may be identified by words like "anticipate," "expect," "project," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "intend" and similar words.  These forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and estimates using information available to us at the time and are not intended to be guarantees of future events or performance.  These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding our Close the Gap initiative and the Crossroads Classic.  If our underlying assumptions turn out to be incorrect, or if certain risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements.  These factors, in some cases, have affected and in the future (together with other factors) could affect our ability to implement our business strategy and may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements expressed in this press release.  As a result, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of our forward-looking statements.

Factors that may cause such differences include, among other things: future economic, competitive, reimbursement and regulatory conditions; new product introductions; demographic trends; intellectual property; litigation; financial market conditions; and future business decisions made by us and our competitors.  All of these factors are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of them are beyond our control.  For a further list and description of these and other important risks and uncertainties that may affect our future operations, see Part I, Item 1A – Risk Factors in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we may update in Part II, Item 1A – Risk Factors in Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q we have filed or will file hereafter.  We disclaim any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in our expectations or in events, conditions or circumstances on which those expectations may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements.  This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this document.

ⁱ Drezner, Jonathan, et al. Inter-Association Task Force Recommendations on Emergency Preparedness and Management of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in High School and College Athletic Programs: A Consensus Statement. Heart Rhythm Society. 2007;4:549-565

ⁱⁱ Maron, Barry J., et al. Profile and Frequency of Sudden Deaths in 1,463 Young Competitive Athletes: From a 26-year U.S. National Registry, 1980-2005. Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation. [poster];2006.

ⁱⁱⁱ Maron, Barry J., et al. Recommendations and Considerations Related to Preparticipation Screening for Cardiovascular Abnormalities in Competitive Athletes: 2007 Update. American Heart Association Journal. 2007;115:1643-1655

^iv Maron, Barry J., et al. Relationship of Race to Sudden Cardiac Death in Competitive Athletes with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2003;41:974-980.

^v American Heart Association. Indiana State Fact Sheet. 2012

^vi American Heart Association. Understand Your Risk of Heart Attack webpage. Accessed 11/26/12: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartAttack/UnderstandYourRiskofHeartAttack/Understand-Your-Risk-of-Heart-Attack_UCM_002040_Article.jsp

SOURCE Boston Scientific Corporation