Atrionix Adds Richard Ferrari and Dr. Jerry Griffin to Board.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--June 4, 1999--

Two new directors have been appointed to the board of Atrionix, Inc., which is developing a catheter-based cure for atrial fibrillation (AF).

Richard Ferrari is President and CEO of CardioThoracic Systems, Inc., Cupertino, CA, the leader in instrumentation for minimally invasive cardiac surgery.

Jerry Griffin, MD, was previously Executive Vice President for medical affairs of InControl, Inc., Redmond, WA, the implantable atrial defibrillator developer, until its recent sale to Guidant Corporation (NYSE:GDT).

"Coming at the conclusion of our second round of venture capital funding, which raised $8 million, appointment to our board of two men of the caliber of Rich Ferrari and Jerry Griffin is another great step forward for Atrionix," said Dr. Michael Ross, president and CEO of Atrionix.

Atrionix is focused on developing a proprietary, catheter-based system for curing AF, which is a disruption in the heart's normal sinus rhythm. The Atrionix catheter system allows quick, safe and permanent isolation of the pulmonary veins, structures which are now understood to trigger AF in a significant number of patients.

AF affects two million people in the U.S., with more than 160,000 new cases diagnosed annually, and is particularly hard on the elderly. Stroke is one of its major complications.

Atrionix, which has raised nearly $12 million since 1997, is moving toward initiating the Food and Drug Administration process for U.S. human clinical studies of its system, as well as beginning pilot human clinical studies abroad.

Investors have included Premier Medical Partner Fund, San Diego, the venture fund of Premier, Inc.; Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, the Redwood Shores, CA venture arm of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ); Saratoga Ventures, Saratoga, CA; Brentwood Venture Capital, Menlo Park, CA; and Magic Ventures, Palo Alto.