BioVentrix Selected to Present at Prestigious EuroPCR Meeting

PARIS--(Marketwire - May 14, 2012) - BioVentrix, the developer of minimally invasive therapies for the treatment of heart failure, was selected to present at EuroPCR, the annual meeting of the European Association for Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions, being held in Paris, May 15-17, 2012.

The Company recently reported six-month follow up data from its first-in-man (FIM) trial for proof-of-concept of its LV volume reduction technology. The trial took place in an open surgical setting, and data showed excellent results in heart failure patients who were symptomatic entering the trial, even while on optimal conventional therapy. Based on these positive surgical outcomes, BioVentrix is rapidly developing a transcatheter product to achieve the same results with a sternal sparing technique.

BioVentrix's chief medical officer, Lon S. Annest, M.D., MBA, will present the FIM clinical results and the company's next generation sternal sparing product for TransCatheter Ventricular Restoration (TCVR). The presentation will take place during the "Cardiovascular Innovation Pipeline -- Heart Failure and Structural Heart Disease" session, to be held the morning of May 16^th in the Palais des Congrès, room 351.

Dr. Annest will highlight the company's progress towards developing a closed chest, off pump transcatheter hybrid therapy for patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy delivered by a combined surgical and cardiology team. Patients with dilated ventricles having akinetic or dyskinetic scar tissue resulting from a previous myocardial infarction (heart attack) may benefit from minimally invasive scar exclusion. Typically, these patients may be too ill or too fragile to tolerate traditional surgical interventions, or they may no longer respond to standard medical and cardiac rhythm therapy.

"We are honored to be presenting the early clinical results with our plication technology and key features of the forthcoming transcatheter product, which is based on the same proven concept," said Ken Miller, president and chief executive officer of BioVentrix. "We believe this innovative approach will significantly expand treatment options for patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, thereby eliminating the need to open the chest in this very sick group of patients."

Heart failure in Europe is more common than most cancers¹. Approximately 14 million people in Europe currently suffer from heart failure and this number is expected to increase to 30 million by the year 2020, according to the Study Group on Heart Failure Awareness and Perception in Europe (SHAPE). In addition, over 3.6 million new cases are reported each year and admission to hospitals with heart failure has more than doubled in the last 20 years.

About BioVentrix
BioVentrix is a privately held medical device company headquartered in San Ramon, Calif. U.S.A. Its mission is to improve and expand on the treatment of heart failure, primarily through the development of less invasive, catheter-based approaches. The company's proprietary systems offers a less invasive, accelerated recovery treatment that improves cardiac function by restoring the geometry and resulting function of the left ventricle, thereby improving a patient's quality of life. The company's clinical investigators include some of the world's leading surgeons and cardiologists. The BioVentrix system is an investigational device pending CE Mark. For more information, please visit: http://bioventrix.com.

¹ Stewart S et al. More malignant than cancer? Five year survival following a first admission for heart failure. The European Journal of Heart Failure 2001; 3:315-322.