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CardioFocus Completes Series C Financing; H.I.G. Ventures and KBL Healthcare Ventures Lead $21.5 Million Round for Developer of First Endoscopically-Guided Catheter Ablation System to Treat Atrial Fibrillation.


BOSTON -- CardioFocus, Inc., a privately held company privately held company

A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly.
 focused on developing and commercializing catheter products for the treatment of atrial fibrillation atrial fibrillation

Irregular rhythm (arrhythmia) of contraction of the atria (upper heart chambers). The most common major arrhythmia, it may result as a consequence of increased fibrous tissue in the aging heart, of heart disease, or in association with severe infection.
 (AFib), announced today it has raised a $21.5 million Series C round to propel the performance of a U.S. pivotal trial for its endoscopically-guided catheter ablation Catheter Ablation Definition

Catheter ablation of an irregular heartbeat involves having a tube (a catheter) inserted into the heart through which electrical energy is sent to either reset the heartbeat or stop the heart from beating so a mechanical
 system. H.I.G. Ventures and KBL KBL Kabul, Afghanistan (Airport Code)
KBL Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (Philippines; New Society Movement)
KBL Korean Basketball League
KBL Kredietbank SA Luxembourgeoise (Luxemburg bank) 
 Healthcare Ventures led the $21.5 million round, joined by new investors Accuitive Medical Ventures and The Aurora Funds, as well as existing investors Oxford Bioscience Partners and SV Life Sciences.

"We are pleased to have attracted such an accomplished group of seasoned medical device investors," said Stephen Sagon, Chief Executive Officer of CardioFocus. "As we move into this next phase of clinical trials, we will certainly benefit from their guidance and expertise in the field."

Triggered by rapidly firing stimuli or premature beats arising from within the pulmonary veins, AFib is the most common cardiac arrhythmia cardiac arrhythmia
n.
See cardiac dysrhythmia.


Cardiac arrhythmia
An irregular heart rate or rhythm.

Mentioned in: Holter Monitoring, Stress Test

cardiac arrhythmia 
 affecting approximately 2.3 million people in the U.S. and 4.5 million people in the developed world. Patients suffering from AFib have a severely reduced quality of life and face significantly higher risk of stroke, heart failure and death. Drug treatment has been proven ineffective in as little as six months and in more than fifty percent of patients.

"The effective catheter treatment of AFib is one of the single biggest unmet needs in the field of cardiology, representing a $2 billion market opportunity," said Dr. Bruce Robertson Bruce Richard Robertson (born April 27, 1953 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a former freestyle and butterfly swimmer from Canada, who competed for his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1972 in Munich. , Managing Director of H.I.G. Ventures. "CardioFocus has developed a novel device for treating this debilitating de·bil·i·tat·ing
adj.
Causing a loss of strength or energy.


Debilitating
Weakening, or reducing the strength of.

Mentioned in: Stress Reduction
 condition. The company's management team has significant experience in the field of electrophysiology, and we believe their system will greatly improve the lives of those who suffer from AFib."

CardioFocus' patented endoscope endoscope, any instrument used to look inside the body. Usually consisting of a fiber-optic tube attached to a viewing device, endoscopes are used to explore and biopsy such areas as the colon and the bronchi of the lungs. , catheter and sheath technology uses adjustable arcs of light energy that can be optimally shaped and individually targeted to each vein's anatomy. The CardioFocus catheter can visualize and isolate pulmonary veins, essential for the treatment of AFib, in a procedure expected to take less than two hours, unlike competitive RF energy procedures that can take up to six hours, even in the most experienced hands. To date, the company has successfully completed more than 20 patients of an ongoing feasibility study The analysis of a problem to determine if it can be solved effectively. The operational (will it work?), economical (costs and benefits) and technical (can it be built?) aspects are part of the study. Results of the study determine whether the solution should be implemented.  with excellent acute and chronic results. New abstracts on the company's clinical progress will be presented at the annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Noun 1. heart rhythm - the rhythm of a beating heart
cardiac rhythm

regular recurrence, rhythm - recurring at regular intervals

atrioventricular nodal rhythm, nodal rhythm - the normal cardiac rhythm when the heart is controlled by the
 Society, May 17-20 in Boston.

"The CardioFocus ablation procedure promises superior efficacy and safety in comparison to competitive devices," said Dr. Marlene Krauss, Managing Director and co-founder KBL Healthcare Ventures. "The integral endoscopic en·do·scope  
n.
An instrument for examining visually the interior of a bodily canal or a hollow organ such as the colon, bladder, or stomach.



en
 visualization gives a remarkable view of the area to be treated and, as a result, will enable a higher cure rate with fewer complications. In addition, the procedure is less complicated and time consuming, which will aid in the adoption by a broader spectrum of electrophysiologists."

As a result of the financing, Bruce Robertson, PhD, Managing Director for H.I.G. Ventures, Marlene Krauss, MD, Managing Director and co-founder of KBL Heathcare Ventures, Chris Kroeger, MD, Principal for The Aurora Funds, and Charles Larsen, Managing Director for Accuitive Medical Ventures, will take seats on the CardioFocus board.

About CardioFocus, Inc.

CardioFocus, Inc. is a privately held medical device company based in Maynard, Massachusetts Maynard is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2001 census, the town population was 10,037. History
Maynard, located on the Assabet River, was first settled in 1638 and was officially incorporated in 1871.
. The company is developing, manufacturing and marketing proprietary, disposable fiber optic catheters for the visualization of the cardiac anatomy and the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation. For more information, visit www.cardiofocus.com.

About H.I.G. Ventures

H.I.G. Ventures partners with entrepreneurs to provide the capital, expertise and relationships necessary to build market-leading businesses. With over $550 million in dedicated venture capital under management, the firm's team invests nationally in early to mid-stage information technology and life sciences businesses. H.I.G. Ventures is the venture capital affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, a leading private and public equity investment firm with over $2.5 billion of capital under management and offices in Atlanta, Boston, Miami and San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden . For more information, visit www.higventures.com.

About KBL Healthcare Ventures

KBL Healthcare Ventures is a $100 million venture capital firm dedicated to investing in early stage and emerging growth healthcare companies. KBL also manages KBL Healthcare Acquisition Corporation II, a publicly traded Special Purpose Acquisition fund with $50M under management. KBL's goal is to identify companies that are run by seasoned management teams and that have the potential to create long-term value. Within the medical device area, KBL seeks companies addressing large, unmet medical needs with demonstrated clinical benefit. For more information, visit www.kblvc.com.
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Copyright 2006, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Publication:Business Wire
Date:Apr 24, 2006
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