Cardiac Patient Celebrates 12 Years of Angina-Free Living, Following PLC Systems' TMR Therapy
09 9월 2008 - 9:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
Pat Gibbs Told to 'Put Her House in Order' in 1996 - Celebrates Her
79th Birthday This Year FRANKLIN, Mass., Sept. 9
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PLC Systems Inc. (AMEX: PLC), a company
focused on innovative cardiac and vascular medical device-based
technologies, today announced that Pat Gibbs, a cardiac patient who
had been told "nothing could be done for her," in 1996 has now
celebrated her 12th year of angina-free living, following the
implementation of PLC's therapy. Ms. Gibbs was treated with PLC's
patented CO2 Transmyocardial Revascularization (TMR) in August 1996
at the Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C. Prior to her
treatment, she had received a variety of therapies including
numerous medications, several interventions, and two coronary
bypass surgeries. Despite this, she continued to suffer with
angina, which severely limited her quality of life. "Prior to the
TMR procedure, I was living on nitroglycerine tablets," said Ms.
Gibbs. "Each morning, even the simplest effort forced me to take
another tablet in order to take my next step. I was told that I
needed a heart transplant, but was rejected because of my age.
"Although I was suffering from non-stop chest pain, I was told to
go home and to pray. The doctors said there was nothing more they
could do." Ms. Gibbs lives in northern Alabama and continues to
lead an active, healthy life. She has traveled around the country
since her procedure, and enjoys volunteering in her community at
the local Art Association and gardening. More than 15,000 other TMR
patients have been treated successfully with PLC's technology.
Women and Heart Disease According to the American Heart
Association, heart disease is the leading killer of women in the
United States. About 460,000 women die of cardiovascular disease
annually, more than the total number of cardiovascular
disease-related deaths in men or the next five causes of death
combined. A study in the March 22/29, 2006 issue of the Journal of
the American Medical Association found that women have as high an
incidence of stable angina as men and that this is associated with
an increased risk of coronary death in women. Angina is a sign of
increased risk for heart attack, cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac
death. More information on risk factors and programs that help to
build awareness of this issue are available at
http://www.goredforwomen.org/ and http://www.americanheart.org/ .
Transmyocardial Revascularization Transmyocardial
Revascularization, or TMR, is a surgical revascularization
procedure that requires visualization of the heart. TMR may be
performed either through a minimally invasive or an open surgical
approach that is determined by the surgeon. During the CO2 TMR
procedure, a cardiac surgeon utilizes a CO2 laser to create
approximately 20 to 40 channels through the wall of the heart
(myocardium) to promote increased blood flow. In clinical studies,
CO2 TMR has demonstrated a reduction in angina and an improvement
in quality of life. It is believed the creation of TMR channels
promotes angiogenesis, the development and formation of new blood
vessels. The CO2 Heart Laser(TM) 2 system is manufactured by PLC
Medical Systems, Inc., and distributed in the United States by
Novadaq Corporation, a wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary of Novadaq
Technologies, Inc. (TSX: NDQ). Studies are underway to investigate
the potential benefits of combining CO2 TMR with stem cell therapy.
The combined therapy may lead to improved cardiac function in heart
failure patients. About PLC Systems Inc. PLC Systems Inc. is a
medical technology company specializing in innovative technologies
for the cardiac and vascular markets. PLC's newest product,
RenalGuard(TM), is approved for sale in the EU as a general fluid
balancing device. The RenalGuard System(TM) consists of a unique,
proprietary, closed loop, software-controlled console and
accompanying single-use sets that can be used by physicians and
nurses to balance patient fluid levels during a variety of medical
procedures. The RenalGuard System, with its matched fluid
replacement capability, is intended to minimize the risk of over-
or under-hydration during medical procedures where creating and
maintaining high urine outputs is deemed beneficial to patients.
Headquartered in Franklin, Massachusetts, PLC pioneered the CO2
Heart Laser System, which cardiac surgeons use to perform CO2
transmyocardial revascularization (TMR) to alleviate symptoms of
severe angina. CO2 TMR offers a treatment option for angina
patients who suffer from severe coronary artery disease. The CO2
Heart Laser is the world's first TMR angina relief device cleared
for commercial distribution by both the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration and Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare,
and to obtain a CE Mark for European distribution. Additional
company information can be found at http://www.plcmed.com/ . This
press release contains "forward-looking" statements. For this
purpose, any statements contained in this press release that relate
to prospective events or developments are deemed to be
forward-looking statements. Words such as "believes,"
"anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will" and similar expressions
are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Our statements
of our objectives are also forward-looking statements. While we may
elect to update forward-looking statements in the future, we
specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, even if our
estimates change, and you should not rely on these forward-looking
statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent to
the date of this press release. Actual results could differ
materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements
as a result of a variety of important factors, including that we
may not receive necessary regulatory approvals to market our
RenalGuard product or that such approvals may be withdrawn, we may
be unable to raise sufficient funds in the future to implement our
business plan and/or commence our planned U.S. clinical trial for
RenalGuard, the current CCM clinical trial and the planned future
U.S. clinical trial for RenalGuard as a safe and effective CIN
prevention device may not be completed in a timely fashion if at
all, or, if these clinical trials are completed, they may not
produce clinically significant or meaningful results, the
RenalGuard product may not be commercially accepted, operational
changes, competitive developments may affect the market for our
products, regulatory approval requirements may affect the market
for our products, and additional risk factors described in our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007,
and our other SEC reports. PLC Systems, PLC Medical Systems, PLC
and CO2 Heart Laser, RenalGuard and RenalGuard System are
trademarks of PLC Systems Inc. Contact: Mary T. Conway Conway
Communications 617-244-9682 DATASOURCE: PLC Systems Inc. CONTACT:
Mary T. Conway of Conway Communications, +1-617-244-9682, , for PLC
Systems Inc. Web site: http://www.plcmed.com/
http://www.americanheart.org/ http://www.goredforwomen.org/
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