Cierra, Inc. Reports First Successful ''Non-Implant'' Cardiac Catheter PFO Closure.REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Cierra, Inc. announces the successful treatment of the first set of patients with their groundbreaking PFX PFX Personal Information Exchange PFX Powerflex (database file extension) PFX Purple Fluid Exchange (band) PFX Generic Police Term for Multi-Channel Packset Radio (TM) Closure System for the treatment and closure of Patent Foramen Ovale patent foramen ovale PFO Cardiology An opening between the left and right atria which allows blood to bypass the lungs in utero; the FO normally closes shortly after birth, but remains open in up to 20%; a PFO is, in absence of other cardiac defects, is of no consequence (PFO PFO Patent Foramen Ovale (defect of the heart) PFO Paphos, Cyprus - International (Airport Code) PFO Principal Federal Official (US Departement of Homeland Security) ). The Cierra PFX(TM) system is the first catheter based treatment in the world to close PFO without leaving behind a permanent implant. A PFO is a valve-like opening between the right and left atrial chambers of the heart which usually closes shortly after birth. This opening persists into adulthood in approximately 25 percent of the population. PFO are believed to allow blood clots, which would normally be filtered by circulation through the lungs, to cause stroke, paradoxical embolization embolization /em·bo·li·za·tion/ (em?bo-li-za´shun) 1. the process or condition of becoming an embolus. 2. therapeutic introduction of a substance into a vessel in order to occlude it. , or Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIA (1) (Telecommunications Industry Association, Arlington, VA, www.tiaonline.org) A membership organization founded in 1988 that sets telecommunications standards worldwide. It was originally an EIA working group that was spun off and merged with the U.S. ). PFO are one of the leading causes of stroke in young patients and have also been linked to migraine headaches. The procedure involves threading a small tube or catheter into the right side of the heart and applying energy to close the PFO. Professor Dr. Horst Sievert sie·vert n. Abbr. Sv A unit of ionizing radiation absorbed dose equivalent in the International System of Units, obtained as a product of the absorbed dose measure in grays and a dimensionless factor, stipulated by the International (info@cvcfrankfurt.de), Director of the CardioVascular Center Frankfurt, Sankt Katharinen in Germany, and principal investigator of the study, successfully completed the PFX procedure in six patients over two days. Professor Sievert noted that "This is a major breakthrough in interventional cardiology. For the first time it is possible to close a heart defect by catheter techniques without leaving anything behind." Erik Engelson, President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Cierra, said, "We were pleased with both the high success rate and the repeatable, short procedure times in this first series of patients." Headquartered in Redwood City, CA, Cierra, Inc. is a medical device company focused on minimally invasive treatment of heart conditions. Cierra is the seventh portfolio company from the medical device incubator, The Foundry (www.the-foundry.com), and is privately held. Its venture investors include Split Rock Partners (www.splitrockpartners.com), Morgenthaler Ventures (www.morgenthaler.com) and Frazier Healthcare Ventures (www.frazierhealthcare.com). |
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