Franciscan St. Francis Heart Center Surgeon Pioneers Use of Heart Valve Repair Ring

INDIANAPOLIS, June 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — The St. Francis Heart Center today
(June 17, 2011) announced that it has performed the first post-FDA approval
surgery in the United States using a new device for treating tricuspid valve
disease.

Called the Contour 3D(TM) Annuloplasty Ring, the device, which is manufactured
by Medtronic, is designed to restore normal valve function by remodeling the
natural valve’s shape and size.

The procedure was performed by Marc Gerdisch, M.D., chief of cardiothoracic
surgery at Franciscan St. Francis Health and surgical director of the St.
Francis Heart Valve Center. Gerdisch, a partner with Cardiac Surgery Associates,
provided input during the development of the new ring.

“Our team is focused on reestablishing normal heart physiology to achieve
optimal performance,” said Gerdisch. “We want the best possible outcome for
every single patient, and this device is part of an approach that is based on
restoring dynamic anatomy that has been altered by disease.”

Tricuspid valve disease is a condition in which the valve between the two right
heart chambers (right ventricle and right atrium) does not function properly.
Tricuspid valve disease often occurs with other heart valve problems as was the
case with the first patient to receive the Contour 3D Ring.

The case involved a 74-year-old woman with congestive heart failure dating back
more than a decade. The woman suffered from multiple debilitating heart issues,
and because the surgery involved several of her heart’s components, having an
annuloplasty ring similar to the natural valve’s shape was key to an overall
successful procedure.

She is now recovering and doing very well, with echocardiography showing
positive results, physicians report.

Gerdisch and other physicians credit the Contour 3D Ring’s true anatomical
profile as a major benefit.

“This is the only remodeling ring that matches the shape of a healthy tricuspid
valve, as determined through computed tomography (CT) images of normal tricuspid
valves,” said Aubrey Galloway, M.D., chairman of the Department of
Cardiothoracic Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, who was
the lead clinician creating the new ring. “This will minimize stress of the
valve leaflets and optimize valve function.”

“We are pleased to offer surgeons a new option for treating their patients with
tricuspid valve disease,” said Shawn Monaghan, vice president of Surgical Based
Therapies for the Medtronic Structural Heart business. “The response from
surgeons for the device’s three-dimensional remodeling and true anatomical
profile has been very positive.”

About St. Francis Heart Center

The St. Francis Heart Center, located at Franciscan St. Francis
Health–Indianapolis Hospital, is dedicated to providing patients with the
region’s most comprehensive heart and vascular services. The commitment of
physicians to the prevention and cure of heart disease has led to innovative
care, better outcomes and improved quality of life for patients. For more
information, go to www.MyHeartCare.net.

About Franciscan St. Francis Health

With three hospitals in south-central Indiana, Franciscan St. Francis Health is
a member of the Franciscan Alliance, one of the largest Catholic health care
systems in the Midwest with 13 growing hospitals and a number of nationally
recognized Centers of Health Care Excellence. Franciscan Alliance includes:
Franciscan St. Anthony Health – Crown Point, Ind.; Franciscan St. Anthony Health
- Michigan City, Ind.; Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health – Crawfordsville, Ind.;
Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health – Lafayette East, Ind.; Franciscan St. Elizabeth
Health – Lafayette Central, Ind.; Franciscan St. Francis Health – Beech Grove,
Ind.; Franciscan St. Francis Health – Indianapolis, Ind.; Franciscan St. Francis
Health – Mooresville, Ind.; Franciscan St. James Health – Chicago Heights, Ill.;
Franciscan St. James Health – Olympia Fields, Ill.; Franciscan St. Margaret
Health – Hammond, Ind.; Franciscan St. Margaret Health – Dyer, Ind.; and
Franciscan Physicians Hospital, LLC – Munster, Ind. The Franciscan Alliance
serves a geographic area with a population of 3.7 million people, provides care
for more than 2.9 million outpatient visits and completes more than 100,000
inpatient discharges every year. For more information, go to
www.FranciscanAlliance.org.

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Marc Gerdisch |

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SOURCE Franciscan St. Francis Heart Center