CardioFocus HeartLight® to be Highlighted at Heart Rhythm 2013

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., May 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CardioFocus, Inc., developer of the HeartLight® Endoscopic Ablation System for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF), announces that clinical experiences with its technology will be included as part of the scientific sessions at Heart Rhythm 2013, the Heart Rhythm Society's 34^th Annual Scientific Sessions, May 8-11 in Denver, CO.

The HeartLight System will be featured during the case-based tutorial session "Balloon and Single Shot Devices to Achieve PV Isolation" on Friday, May 10. The session will review and compare techniques for pulmonary vein isolation. Boris Schmidt, MD, of Cardioangiologisches Centrum Bethanien in Frankfurt, Germany, will highlight laser balloon ablation and his experiences achieving high rates of chronic efficacy with a single PVI procedure during his presentation at 8:25 a.m.

"We are pleased that our System will be widely represented in the data exhibited at this year's Heart Rhythm conference. The role of pulmonary vein isolation in treating AF continues to captivate the interest of leading cardiologists, and while there have been some surprising sub-optimal results with traditional radiofrequency approaches, researchers have consistently presented compelling single procedure clinical outcomes using our technology. We look forward to their upcoming presentations, which will directly compare experiences with HeartLight to other techniques and discuss methods for optimizing laser balloon ablation," said Stephen Sagon, President of CardioFocus.

The HeartLight System will also be discussed in the following presentations during the meeting:

PO02-141: Incidence of Silent Cerebral Lesions Using Different Ablation Technologies
Presented by: Thomas Deneke, MD, Heartcenter Bad Neustadt, Bad Neustadt, Germany
Location and Time: Exhibit Hall, Thursday, May 9, 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

PO03-56: Biomarkers of Myocardial Injury with Different Energy Sources for Atrial Fibrillation Catheter Ablation
Presented by: Eleonora Russo, MD, Cardiac Arrhythmia Research Centre, Centro Cardiologico Monzino IRCCS, Milan, Italy
Location and Time: Exhibit Hall, Thursday, May 9, 2:00-5:00 p.m.

PO04-122: Comparison of Long-Term Outcome between Laser Balloon, Cryoballon and Irrigated Radiofrequency Ablation of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
Presented by: Gaetano M. Fassini, MD, Cardiac Arrhythmia Research Centre, Centro Cardiologico Monzino IRCCS, Milan, Italy
Location and Time: Exhibit Hall, Friday, May 10, 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

PO04-124: Comparison of Balloon Catheter Ablation Technologies for Pulmonary Vein Isolation – The Laser versus Cryo Study
Presented by: Stefano Bordignon, MD, Cardioangiologisches Centrum Bethanien, Frankfurt, Germany
Location and Time: Exhibit Hall, Friday, May 10, 9:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.

PO05-124: What is the Reason for Recurrent Atrial Fibrillation After Laser Pulmonary Vein Isolation?
Presented by: Edward P. Gerstenfeld, MD, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Location and Time: Exhibit Hall, Friday, May 10, 2:00-5:00 p.m.

With two abstracts at the meeting, Prof. Claudio Tondo, MD, of Centro Cardiologico Monzino in Milan, Italy, commented, "Our center is focused on the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias such as AF, and we are pleased to be among the first to have evaluated and adopted the HeartLight technology. As with all innovative technologies, we have been conducting ongoing research into the associated safety, acute and long-term outcomes of HeartLight and how it improves upon current standards of care, even during our early experience. We are excited to share our findings and contribute to the rapidly growing body of research surrounding the System."

HeartLight is the only catheter ablation system to incorporate an endoscope for direct visualization of the beating heart, a laser energy source and a compliant balloon catheter. For more information, please visit the CardioFocus booth #530 or www.CardioFocus.com.

About CardioFocus, Inc.
CardioFocus, Inc. is a medical device manufacturer dedicated to advancing ablation treatment for cardiac disorders such as atrial fibrillation (AF). Its novel HeartLight® Endoscopic Ablation System for catheter ablation incorporates an endoscope to provide physicians with the capacity to see within the heart, and for the first time, visually direct the application of laser energy to achieve durable pulmonary vein isolation.

The HeartLight Endoscopic Ablation System is commercially available at leading institutions throughout Europe and in Australia. The device is investigational in the U.S., and currently the focus of a pivotal trial initiated in 2012. CardioFocus is headquartered in Marlborough, MA, USA.  For more information on the company and its technology, please visit www.CardioFocus.com.

The scientific information discussed in this news release is preliminary and investigative. The CardioFocus HeartLight Endoscopic Ablation System is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and no conclusions can or should be drawn regarding the safety or effectiveness of the system. Only FDA can determine whether the product candidates are safe and effective for the use(s) being investigated. Healthcare professionals should refer to/rely upon FDA-approved labeling for the products, and not the information discussed in this news release.

SOURCE CardioFocus, Inc.