Cardica Introduces New Iteration Of MicroCutter XCHANGE® 30 Five-Millimeter Surgical Stapler

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Sept. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardica, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRDC) today announced the introduction of a newly enhanced version of the MicroCutter XCHANGE® 30 surgical stapler, with the ability to clamp thicker tissue during a variety of surgical procedures. The XCHANGE 30 is the world's first and only five-millimeter surgical stapler that articulates to 80 degrees.

"The recent modifications to the MicroCutter XCHANGE 30 bolster the jaw strength and stability, as well as increase the strength of the handle," said Bernard A. Hausen, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Cardica.

"Cardica quickly enhanced the MicroCutter XCHANGE 30 based on feedback from surgeons," said Professor Ralph Schmid, Director, Division of General Thoracic Surgery, at Bern University Hospital. "This new iteration significantly expands the application of the device for our surgical team and improves the likelihood that we would select the XCHANGE 30 over another surgical stapler, particularly in confined spaces."

"The new device will make it possible to incorporate the XCHANGE 30 into many additional routine laparoscopic procedures for our practice," said Dr. Juan-Carlos Verdeja, associate professor of surgery and director of laparoscopy and minimally invasive surgery at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. "I have seen firsthand the benefit of the added jaw strength in two recent cases -- a colon resection and a multiple site small bowel resection -- where the XCHANGE 30 performed well when used with much thicker tissue, resulting in positive patient outcomes."

Cardica began shipping the MicroCutter XCHANGE 30 to both the United States and Europe in early September, and effective immediately, all orders will be filled with the newly enhanced device.

About Cardica
Cardica designs and manufactures proprietary stapling and anastomotic devices for cardiac and laparoscopic surgical procedures. Cardica's technology portfolio is intended to reduce operating time and facilitate minimally-invasive and robot-assisted surgeries. Cardica's MicroCutter XCHANGE® 30, a cartridge-based articulating surgical stapling device with a five-millimeter shaft diameter, is manufactured and cleared for use in a variety of gastrointestinal procedures and appendectomies in the United States, and is marketed for a wide range of surgical procedures in Europe. Cardica is developing the Cardica® MicroCutter XCHANGE® 45, a cartridge-based microcutter device that is being designed with an eight-millimeter shaft to be used in a variety of procedures, including bariatric, colorectal, thoracic and general surgery. The Cardica MicroCutter XCHANGE 45 product requires 510(k) clearance and CE Mark and is not yet commercially available in the U.S. or internationally. In addition, Cardica manufactures and markets its automated anastomosis systems, the C-Port® Distal Anastomosis Systems and PAS-Port® Proximal Anastomosis System for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, and has shipped over 52,000 units throughout the world.

To learn more about Cardica, please visit the company Website at www.Cardica.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements in this press release regarding the expected benefits that surgeons and patients will receive from the new version of the MicroCutter XCHANGE® 30 surgical stapler, including statements regarding the likelihood that it would be selected to be used over other surgical staplers and the expectation that the new device will make it possible to incorporate the XCHANGE 30 into many additional routine laparoscopic procedures, are "forward-looking statements." There are a number of important factors that could cause results to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including: that prospective customers may not perceive the benefits of the new version of the XCHANGE 30 to be sufficient to warrant its purchase; that prospective customers may be constrained by pricing pressures or purchasing requirements in the hospitals and facilities in which they work, which could prevent them from purchasing the new version of the XCHANGE 30; as well as other risks detailed from time to time in Cardica's reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014, under the caption "Risk Factors," filed on May 7, 2014. Cardica expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein. Readers are encouraged to read Cardica's reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available at www.sec.gov.

SOURCE Cardica, Inc.