WAUWATOSA, WI - June 8, 2006 - Husam H. Balkhy M.D., Chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and the team of cardiothoracic surgeons at Wisconsin Heart Hospital are among the first physicians to use a revolutionary, fully-automated device called the C-Port system during coronary bypass surgery.  The device attaches a vein downstream of a blocked blood vessel to restore normal blood flow to the heart. 

Dr. Balkhy presented a video case study using the C-Port automated system today at a leading cardiac surgery conference in San Francisco, California.

"We are committed to providing our patients with the highest-quality, technically advanced cardiac care," said Dr. Balkhy.  "From our early experience with this unique device, we believe that the automated reliability, consistent performance and flexible attachment using the C-Port system will result in better patient outcomes.  We are able to attach a graft in seconds with the C-Port device where a hand-sewn suture would normally have taken 10 to 15 minutes."

The C-Port system, developed by Cardica, Inc. (Nasdaq:CRDC), is a fully-automated device designed to attach the end of a bypass vein graft to a coronary artery downstream of an occlusion or narrowing.  C-Port offers unique advantages over traditional hand-sewn sutures, including automated reliability, ease of use and consistent performance.  The device is approved for use and marketed in the United States and Europe. 

Coronary artery bypass surgery is performed to restore blood flow through the vessels which supply blood to the heart.  The surgery is performed by taking a small part of a blood vessel from another part of the body, usually a vein from the leg, and surgically attaching it across an area of severe narrowing or blockage, thus bypassing the blockage.  The blood is rerouted through the healthy vessel and healthy blood flow is restored to the heart. 

The attachment of these vessels during bypass surgery, called an anastomosis, is often considered the most critical step of this common procedure.  The current method of performing an anastomosis in a bypass surgery uses technically demanding, tedious and time-consuming hand sewn sutures to connect a blood vessel to the aorta and to small diameter coronary vessels.

About the Wisconsin Heart Hospital

An exciting, new era in the delivery of specialized cardiovascular care arrived in Wisconsin with the opening of the Wisconsin Heart Hospital (TWHH) at 10000 West Blue Mound Road (across from the Milwaukee County Zoo) in Wauwatosa.

The partnership between cardiovascular, specialty physicians, the community, investors and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare has produced a 60-bed specialized care hospital dedicated to providing advanced and innovative cardiovascular medicine and surgical services delivered in a unique acute-care and ambulatory setting.  Offering a true patient and family-centered experience, TWHH’s facility design complements the evolving future of ambulatory cardiovascular care.  The model was designed to improve upon conventional treatment paradigms and deliver a highly focused process resulting in:

- Shortened treatment times
- Reduced probability of higher procedure complexity
- Avoidance of post-procedural complications
- Hastened return of the patient to normal day-to-day activities

For more information about The Wisconsin Heart Hospital, its award-winning care and outstanding outcomes, log on to twhh.org or contact Mary McIntosh at 414-778-7810.

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