WATCHMAN® Receives German Reimbursement Coverage

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Atritech announces German reimbursement coverage of the left atrial appendage closure procedure in 2011.  The 2011 G-DRG (German Diagnosis Related Group) Catalog recently published on the InEK website (www.g-drg.de) adds left atrial appendage closure procedure to an existing G-DRG code.

Atritech's WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Closure Technology is a device alternative to long term warfarin therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation.  The WATCHMAN is the only LAA closure device that has been studied under a multi-center, prospective randomized clinical study (PROTECT AF). Initial results of the PROTECT AF clinical study were published in the Lancet in August, 2009.   The most recent data presented at the TCT meeting in Washington DC, continues to demonstrate a relative risk reduction of 30% for all stroke, cardiovascular death and systemic embolism compared to long term warfarin therapy.  

"The favorable reimbursement decision in Germany along with the recent National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidelines on LAA Closure in the U.K., further validate the clinical and economic viability of LAA closure.  As our data continues to demonstrate a reduction in stroke risk and improved safety results, we expect favorable reimbursement decisions in other major markets looking to reduce the economic burden of stroke," says Jim Bullock, President & CEO Atritech.

About Atritech

Atritech is a privately held company based in Plymouth, Minnesota.  Major investors in Atritech include Split Rock Partners, Thomas, McNerney and Partners, Prism Venture Partners, Tullis-Dickerson, The Vector Group, Thoma Cressey Funds, The Rahn Group, SightLine Partners and Affinity Capital. For more information, visit www.atritech.net.

SOURCE Atritech, Inc.