Clear Catheter Systems Receives Major International Innovation Award for Its PleuraFlow Active Tube Clearance System.

BEND, Ore. -- Clear Catheter Systems, a private medical device company pioneering proprietary medical catheter anti-occlusion technologies, has been awarded the 2009 EACTS Techno-College Innovation Award for its PleuraFlow Active Tube Clearance System. The Techno-College Award is a worldwide competition to identify innovations with the potential to change the standard of care in heart and lung surgery. The award was established by the European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery to recognize the most important technological breakthrough related to thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. The award was announced at the Annual Techno-College meeting in Vienna, Austria, on October 17, 2009 in front of an audience of leading cardiovascular and thoracic surgeons from around the world.

Clear Catheter Systems is developing its platform technology to actively prevent medical tubes and catheters from occluding. The company's lead product, the PleuraFlow Catheter System, was developed for use in recovery after heart and lung surgery. "One of the most common ways to limit clogging is to use larger diameter tubes. These tubes, however, can also become occluded and significantly more painful," said Dr. Edward Boyle, inventor of the technology and co-founder of Clear Catheter Systems. "We have found that active chest tube clearance with the PleuraFlow Catheter System improves post surgical drainage and limits the degree of blood clots retained in the chest, in standard sized tubes as well as the more minimally invasive size ranges."

"There has been increasing interest in minimally invasive surgery, and the use of smaller diameter chest tubes to limit pain after heart and lung surgery," said Marc Gillinov, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and co inventor of this technology. "The ability to miniaturize tubes is limited by the development of clots in smaller diameter tubes that prevent them from adequately functioning. Solving this problem is a great advance in the hope to make cardiothoracic surgery safer and less painful."

The company expects its first clinical implantation of the PleuraFlow by the end of 2009 and commercial launch in Q1 of 2010.

About Clear Catheter Systems

Clear Catheter Systems, (www.pleuraflow.com), is a development stage medical device company located in Cleveland, Ohio and Bend, Oregon, developing proprietary medical tube clearance platform based on technology developed at Cleveland Clinic Foundation and MDI Partners, (www.mdipartnersllc.com). Clear Catheter's ultimate goal is to develop its tube clearance platform to help make surgery safer for heart, lung and trauma patients, as well as in markets beyond.

About the Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is a not-for-profit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Cleveland Clinic was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. Approximately 1,800 full-time salaried physicians and researchers at Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Florida represent more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties. In 2008, there were 3.6 million outpatient visits to Cleveland Clinic and 48,300 hospital admissions. Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 80 countries. Cleveland Clinic's Web site address is www.clevelandclinic.org.