Heartport Expands Product Offering Substantially.

NEW ORLEANS--(BW HealthWire)--April 19, 1999--

Five New Systems Introduced for Less Invasive Open-Chest and Aortic

Valve Surgery, Stopped- and Beating-Heart

Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery 

Heartport, Inc. (Nasdaq:HPRT), announced today that it has expanded its product offering substantially to provide less invasive products for a wide range of cardiac procedures, including open-chest surgery, aortic valve replacement, and stopped- and beating-heart minimally invasive cardiac surgery.

The Company introduced five new systems comprising 12 new products at the 79th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery.

Heartport's new systems are designed to enable surgeons and their teams to perform less invasive cardiac surgery in a wide variety of ways tailored to the individual needs of the patient. In addition to being designed to deliver excellent clinical outcomes in open-chest surgery, they are also intended to help surgeons convert more of their practices to minimally invasive surgery in the future.

"Our new systems are designed for patient benefit and ease of use by cardiac surgeons," said Frank M. Fischer, Heartport's president and chief executive officer. "This further implements our strategy to make cardiac surgery less invasive for all patients while making it easier for surgeons to perform minimally invasive surgery. No other company offers surgeons this wide array of options."

Less Invasive Open-Chest Systems

Designed for use in all types of conventional open-chest cardiac surgery, the StraightShot(tm) Arterial Cannula, available with either a straight or angled tip, simplifies central aortic cannulation. Using the unique Incising Introducer, an innovation first introduced as part of Hearport's EndoDirect(tm) system, the StraightShot Cannula allows surgeons to incise and cannulate the aorta in one easy step compared to the several steps it currently takes in conventional cardiac surgery.

The SoftClamp(tm) and SoftClamp Plus(tm) systems, which are ideally suited for open-chest cardiac re-do procedures, also can be used for a variety of other open-chest operations. The SoftClamp systems provide easy access to the aorta, cardioplegia delivery, venting, gentle balloon occlusion and perfusion through a single aortotomy. These systems include the new EndoClamp-ST(tm) Aortic Catheter, which incorporates a shorter endoaortic balloon clamp than those used previously with Heartport's EndoDirect and EndoCPB(R) systems. The new EndoClamp-ST is designed to provide more work space on the aorta for the surgeon to connect proximal anastomoses during multi-vessel CABG procedures.

The SoftClamp(tm) Arterial Cannula is specially designed with a unique angle, giving surgeons a clearer operative field of view than with conventional open-chest cannulae. The SoftClamp Plus system will include a new wire-wound QuickDraw(tm) Venous Cannula (pending 510K clearance). The 22F Quickdraw Cannula allows surgeons to more easily and conveniently accomplish venous drainage by placing it percutaneously, thus eliminating another cannula from the surgeon's operative field during open-chest cardiac procedures.

New System for Less Invasive Aortic Valve Surgery

Heartport's new EndoAVR(tm) system is designed to facilitate less invasive aortic valve surgery with complete myocardial protection. The system includes the new StraightShot Arterial Cannula with Incising Introducer, the new QuickDraw Venous Cannula, the EndoPlege(tm) Sinus Catheter to enable retrograde cardioplegia delivery and the EndoVent(tm) Pulmonary Catheter to facilitate decompression of the heart. This system, which also includes a set of specially-designed instruments, is compatible with a wide variety of incisions and techniques, including partial- or mini-sternotomy, median sternotomy and mini-thoracotomy.

Enhancements to Heartport's Port-Access(tm) Minimally Invasive

Cardiac Surgery Systems

Heartport has also introduced a new EndoDirect system that will now include the EndoClamp-ST Aortic Catheter with the shortened balloon designed to facilitate proximal anastomoses during Port-Access multi-vessel CABG procedures. The system's new DirectFlow(tm) Arterial Cannula with Incising Introducer facilitates placement of the new EndoClamp-ST Catheter and enables faster and easier positioning of the endoaortic balloon clamp. The EndoDirect and EndoCPB systems also now will include a QuickDraw Venous Cannula, which, in addition to the EndoPlege Sinus Catheter and the EndoVent Pulmonary Catheter, should further simplify and shorten Port-Access procedures.

Off-Pump, Beating Heart CABG System

The Precision-OP(tm) system is designed to facilitate open-chest, off-pump, beating heart, multi-vessel CABG. This new system includes the reusable OPTrac(tm) Retractor, which surgeons also can use in other types of open-chest cardiac procedures, including those performed with Heartport's new open-chest systems. The OpTrac has interchangeable, reusable retraction blades designed for varied patient anatomy and surgical approaches.

The Precision-OP system also includes the disposable StillSite(tm) Stabilizer, which is designed for optimal stabilization of the target coronary arteries. The system comes with several attachable accessories, including a blower-mister to provide clear visualization of anastomotic sites; disposable suture holders to secure pericardial stay sutures; a heart retractor to manipulate and position the heart; and a holder to assist in securing the internal mammary artery during takedown.

Heartport, Inc., is a cardiovascular device company developing, manufacturing and marketing products designed to make cardiac surgery less invasive for patients. The company's technology allows surgeons to perform a wide range of less invasive open-chest and minimally invasive heart operations, including a full range of stopped- and beating-heart procedures.

Note: Except for the historical information contained herein, this press release contains forward-looking statements, the accuracy of which are necessarily subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ materially due to factors set forth from time to time in Heartport's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.