AtriCure Announces New President, CEO.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 2002

AtriCure, an early stage, start-up medical company pioneering new technologies in cardiac intervention, has recently announced the appointment of David Drachman as president and CEO according to Michael Hooven, founder and chairman.

"Our technology is involved in a huge and very important market segment. In fact, the prevalence of cardiac disease is increasing rapidly as the baby-boomer population ages, and we're highly committed to making a difference here," Hooven explained. "We now have one of the most talented individuals in this segment to take over leadership of our firm.

"David is incredible in his understanding of the clinical issues and his ability to translate market needs into landmark technology developments to meet those needs. We're very lucky to have him."

Drachman has had a leadership role in the development of fully implantable electrical solutions for the treatment of Heart Failure, Diabetes and Eating Disorders acting as president of Impulse Dynamics, a medical start-up company and pioneer in this area.

Prior to that Drachman was with Johnson & Johnson and focussed on new business developments in cardiology. He also served as vice president of Electrophysiology and Cardiology where he led the market introduction of 3-D Cardiac Mapping, Navigation and Ablation Systems, as well as Myocardial Viability Assessment, Angiogenesis and Direct Myocardial Revascularization platforms for use in interventional cardiology.

As vice president of Strategic Development at Biosense Webster, a division of J&J that contributed important core technologies, he analyzed emerging companies and technologies for merger and acquisition. He also achieved another significant goal, improving shareholder value, when the combined businesses achieved more than 200 percent increases in sales under his stewardship.

Drachman has more than 17 years of experience in the Medical Device field including former positions with Ventritex Heart Technology, Boston Scientific and Davis and Geck. He also holds highly prestigious certifications from the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology in Electrophysiology, Cardiac Pacing and Defibrillation.

AtriCure, located in West Chester, Ohio and founded in November 2000, is developing technologies for cardiac treatment, including Arial Fibrillation (AF), the world's most common heart irregularity and a major cause of stroke and congestive heart failure affecting more than 2 million people in the United States who suffer from this disease.

As recipient of the Thomas Edison Award, AtriCure was recently honored as a company that has "demonstrated innovation and utilized technology" to impact the quality of life around the world.

Background

AtriCure was founded in November of 2000 to focus on developing technology for the treatment of Atrial Fibrillation (AF). AF is the world's most common heart irregularity and a major cause of stroke and congestive heart failure. More than 2 million people in the United States currently suffer from AF, and the prevalence is increasing rapidly as the population ages.

The only known cure for AF is a drastic surgical procedure called the "Cox-Maze" procedure, where the upper chambers of the heart are cut and then sewn back together to create lines of scar tissue to block the electrical signals causing AF.

AtriCure has developed a technology that allows surgeons to create lesions that block electrical signals rapidly and safely without cutting.

AtriCure is focused on developing this technology into a minimally invasive approach that can be performed on an outpatient basis. The company has recently closed a $21 million round of financing, and employs 28 people in high-tech jobs. AtriCure has raised a total of more than $26 million, mostly from venture capital sources in Silicon Valley.