MAQUET Cardiovascular's CARDIOHELP System Wins Three Awards For Its Innovative Design And Advanced Technology

RASTATT, Germany, June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MAQUET Cardiopulmonary, a business unit of MAQUET Cardiovascular and a leader in extracorporeal life support (ECLS) systems, today announced that MAQUET CARDIOHELP® System has won three awards in recognition of its innovative design and advanced technology and was selected as a finalist for a fourth award. CARDIOHELP is the world's smallest portable heart-lung support system providing ECLS to support circulation and respiration in patients, for up to 6 hours, whose heart and/or lungs are failing.

"MAQUET is proud to have won multiple prestigious awards for our CARDIOHELP System and we believe these awards are a testament to the skill of our engineering and development teams in our cardiopulmonary business unit," said Christian Keller, President and Chief Executive Officer of MAQUET Cardiovascular. "CARDIOHELP has broadened the field of cardiopulmonary support, as it provides options for patients who need immediate, mobile, life-sustaining resuscitation – both inside and outside the hospital."

The CARDIOHELP System, which includes the Heart Lung Support (HLS) Advanced Tubing Set, is the first heart-lung support system approved for both ground and air transportation.* It is light enough to be carried by one person and compact enough to be transported in a helicopter or vehicle. With its disposables, integrated sensors and individual operating modes, the CARDIOHELP System provides new options for patients whose heart and/or lungs are failing.

The CARDIOHELP System was awarded the following between October 2011 and May 2012:

• Winner of the 2011-2012 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) Techno College Innovation Award, which recognizes technological breakthroughs in all areas related to thoracic and cardiovascular research, and particularly innovations that have the potential to change standard practice.
• Gold Winner in the EMEA Best in Biz Awards 2012 in the Small/Medium Business Product of the Year category, which recognizes top companies, teams, executives and products for their business success in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
• Silver Winner in the 2012 Medical Design Excellence Awards in the Critical-Care and Emergency Medicine Products category, which recognizes the achievements of medical device manufacturers, their suppliers, and the many people behind the scenes who are responsible for the groundbreaking innovations that are changing the face of healthcare.
• Finalist for the Most Innovative New Product Award at the European Life Science Awards 2012, which awards individuals who have demonstrated an unparalleled ability of excellence, and who will be the future stars of the biopharma industry.

"What makes CARDIOHELP so unique is that until recently, it was difficult to transport critically ill patients who required heart-lung bypass support, but now we can bring the support to the bedside and if necessary, the field," said Dr. Wolfgang Rencken, President and Chief Executive Officer of MAQUET Cardiopulmonary AG. "Because it is lightweight and compact enough to be transported in a helicopter or ambulance, it can be used during intra- or inter-hospital transport. With CARDIOHELP, patients can be immediately connected to the cardiopulmonary support they need to begin recovering or stabilizing, and clinicians can gain valuable time that could save the patient's life in virtually any area of the hospital or emergency situation outside the hospital."

Clinical Applications of CARDIOHELP

The individual operating modes and disposables of the CARDIOHELP System make it suitable for conditions in which cardiac and/or respiratory support is needed. The CARDIOHELP System offers several applications to support patients who require veno-venous life support or veno-arterial life support; it can also be used during open heart surgery and for extracorporeal carbon dioxide (CO2) removal up to six hours.

Veno-venous life support, or respiratory assistance for lung disorders, is primarily used when the heart is still able to pump blood through the circulatory system without any additional support. The blood is removed from the jugular vein or a femoral vein for enrichment with oxygen, after which it is returned to a vein.

Veno-arterial life support is used with patients whose hearts are not adequately supporting their circulation or have stopped, which may occur with a myocardial infarction. It is vital to ensure cardiopulmonary support as early as possible to prevent organ damage. In the case of a veno-arterial life support, the blood is removed from the right atrium or a femoral vein and is returned to the aorta or a femoral artery after oxygenation; some of the blood therefore bypasses the heart in a parallel circulatory system, thus relieving stress on the heart muscle.

The CARDIOHELP System can also be used to reduce the CO2 level in the blood. High CO2 levels in some cases can lead to health complications.

The CARDIOHELP System is a minimal extracorporeal circulatory system allowing for life support during cardiopulmonary bypass procedures.

Key Features of CARDIOHELP

The CARDIOHELP System may be installed in ambulances or helicopters and can be connected to the on-board power supply. The integrated rechargeable battery also provides a minimum of 90 minutes of operation without an external power supply. The CARDIOHELP System is operated via an easy touch screen with user guidance and a rotary knob to allow medical personnel with minimal life support experience to safely use the unit after suitable training.

The CARDIOHELP System monitors important blood parameters, including venous oxygen saturation, hemoglobin, hematocrit and arterial and venous blood temperature. The complete sensor system, which also includes three pressure sensors, is integrated into the HLS Module Advanced disposable.

The CARDIOHELP System can be configured to capture case data and data recording intervals can be set individually from 3 seconds to 10 minutes. For more information, visit http://www.cardiohelp-us.com.

*The CARDIOHELP System complies with other national transportation regulations.

About MAQUET

As a trusted partner for hospitals and clinicians since 1838, Maquet is a global leader in medical systems that advance surgical interventions, cardiovascular procedures and critical care. Maquet develops and designs innovative products and therapeutic applications for the operating room, hybrid OR/Cath lab, intensive care unit and patient transport within acute care hospitals, improving outcomes and quality of life for patients.

Cardiovascular specialties include: intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation therapy for cardiac assist; coronary artery bypass surgery; aortic and peripheral vascular surgery; and extracorporeal circulation.

The Critical Care portfolio includes market-leading intensive care ventilators and anesthesia machines.

Maquet also equips Surgical Workplaces with critical infrastructure such as flexible room design for OR and ICU; OR tables, lights and ceiling supply units, and OR integration for image data management.

Maquet is a subsidiary of the publicly listed Swedish Getinge Group. In 2011, Maquet generated nearly 1.4 billion Euro which is more than half of the Group's annual revenue of 2.4 billion Euros. The Getinge Group has 13,000 employees worldwide, including around 6,000 Maquet employees in 50 international sales and service organizations, as well as a network of more than 280 sales representatives. For more information please visit www.maquet.com and www.getingegroup.com.

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