CardioFocus to Present at Medtech Insight's ``Investment In Innovation'' Conference.

SAN FRANCISCO -- CardioFocus has announced that it will be presenting at 2:30 p.m. at Medtech Insight's Prestigious "Investment In Innovation (In3): A Preview of Early-Stage Medical Technology Companies" Conference, taking place June 14-15, 2005 at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco, CA.

CardioFocus, Inc., a privately held company, reports initial clinical experience with world's first Endoscopic Ablation System for Atrial Fibrillation. CardioFocus, Inc., an emerging company and technology leader in laser ablation, announced four-month results from its initial clinical investigation. Nine patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation were treated with a novel percutaneous therapy designed to electrically isolate the pulmonary veins. Following a 60-day blanking period, 7/9 patients were free from symptomatic AF episodes greater than 1 min through 16 weeks follow-up. The 3-mo CT revealed a mean change in PV diameter of -1 +/- 14% and there was no symptomatic PV stenosis.

Speaking from Venice, Italy, Andrea Natale, MD of the Cleveland Clinic, reported the successful treatment of 93% of the veins targeted with the laser system. "I was very satisfied with our ability to access 100% of the anatomical targets and use the laser system to achieve electrical isolation in 15 of 16 veins. The real-time, anatomical view using the Endoscopic Ablation System provides a very unique opportunity to tailor ablation therapy in a highly unpredictable setting."

The pre-IDE investigation began in Prague, Czech Republic where Vivek Reddy, MD, of the Massachusetts General Hospital tackled the first cases. Dr. Reddy was eager to test his extensive in vivo experience with the catheter and assess the feasibility of using the device as the sole clinical intervention for patients suffering from drug refractory atrial fibrillation. "Today, there are no devices approved to treat this challenging arrhythmia. Multiple products are being used to pursue a variety of different strategies that often amount to a 'shot in the dark.' The CardioFocus technique has documented the difficult navigational issues clinicians face and provided a new capability to overcome these obstacles."

The CardioFocus system brings new capability into the hands of the electrophysiologist. "The essence of this product is to let the arrhythmia specialist see the actual anatomy and then use his own eyes and judgment to select where to direct the energy," said Stephen Sagon, President & CEO. The CardioFocus device shares a common origin with Optimaze, a surgical laser ablation product developed by CardioFocus for Edwards Lifesciences Corporation.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia affecting 2.3 million people in the U.S. and 4.5 million people in the developed world. Characterized by a disorganized and ineffective contraction of the upper chambers of the heart, AF presents rapid and irregular heartbeats, often causes discomfort, lightheadedness and/or shortness of breath and carries a very high risk of stroke.

Medtech Insight, a division of Windhover Information Inc., is the leading provider of business information and market intelligence for the medical technology marketplace. To register for the "Investment In Innovation" conference or for more information on Medtech Insight, please call Kristy Grimes at 480-985-9512, e-mail [e-mail], or visit www.medtechinsight.com.