Miracor: Miracor appoints senior medical device expert,Dr. Werner Braun, to its Board of Directors

“We look forward to having Dr. Braun’s strong support and deep medtech understanding as we move forward with our strategy of establishing PICSO® as a complementary therapy in treating severe heart attack patients” Jon H. Hoem, CEO

Miracor Medical Systems GmbH announced today that it has appointed Dr. Werner Braun, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Werner Braun brings extensive experience from leading medical device companies such as Biotronik, Medtronic and Chiron. In these companies Werner Braun held key positions in operations, clinical and regulatory affairs and global sales & marketing. He has played a significant role in bringing medical device companies from an early-stage into global positions in the cardiology sector and has recently retired from operational corporate positions after 32 years of medical device experience. Werner Braun received his Ph.D. in Plasma and Laser Physics from the Technical University in Munich for research work performed at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.

“Dr. Braun has played an integral role in establishing premier multinational medical device companies focused on cardiovascular interventions,” said Jon H. Hoem, Miracor CEO. “We know that his experience and success will help us continue to evolve PICSO® into a standard of care that complements primary PCI procedures,” added Mr. Hoem.

“PICSO® is designed to be a ‘must have’ technology: in spite of a successful coronary angioplasty, deficient myocardial reperfusion still occurs in about one in three STEMI patients, and this is strongly correlated with undesirable outcomes for these patients,” said Mr. Hoem. “PICSO® is designed to solve this potentially deadly condition by dramatically amplifying the redistribution of blood into the blood-starved myocardium of severe heart attack patients after their primary PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention), and we fully expect that this potentially life-saving benefit of PICSO® will be well received by clinicians and patients.”

“I have thoughtfully decided to accept a directorship in Miracor which is a very exciting company addressing significant unmet clinical needs for cardiology patients. I am convinced that I can help to ensure that PCI patients will get access to and benefit from Miracor’s promising PICSO technology,” added Werner Braun.

In addition to Dr. Braun, Miracor’s Board of Directors includes: Hubertus Leonhardt, SHS; Joey Mason, M.D., Delta Partners; Werner Mohl, M.D., Ph.D., inventor of PICSO®, Professor of Cardiac Surgery, Medical University of Vienna; Thom Rasche, Earlybird Venture Partners; and Jon H. Hoem, CEO, Miracor.

The Miracor PICSO® Impulse System, which is CE-marked, is designed to treat acute heart attack STEMI patients following coronary angioplasty. ‘STEMI’ is an acronym meaning ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction. Heart attacks are divided into three types, according to their severity. A STEMI heart attack is the most severe type. In a STEMI heart attack, the coronary artery is completely blocked off by the blood clot, and as a result virtually all the heart muscle being supplied by the affected artery starts to die.

About PICSO®
Timely myocardial reperfusion using primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) remains the most effective treatment strategy for limiting infarct size, reducing left ventricular remodeling, and improving clinical outcomes following ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Despite optimum primary PCI, the mortality and morbidity following a STEMI event remains sizable. Clearly, primary PCI alone is not enough to eliminate the risk for future cardiovascular events. Paradoxically, the process of restoring coronary blood flow can in itself exacerbate the myocardial injury. Miracor’s Pressure-controlled Intermittent Coronary Sinus Occlusion (PICSO®) Impulse System offers a new and innovative approach to reduce myocardial injury and to revitalize ischemic myocardium. Initial clinical results show positive effects on MACE, restenosis rates, and long-term event-free survival. The PICSO® system consists of the Miracor PICSO® Impulse Console and the disposable, single-use Miracor PICSO® Impulse Catheter.

About Miracor Medical Systems GmbH
Based in Vienna, Austria, privately held Miracor is commercializing a unique and potentially disruptive technology, PICSO®, for acute coronary syndrome (ACS), heart failure, and cardiac surgery patients. The Company’s objective is to establish PICSO® as the standard of care for heart attack patients, thereby improving their quality of life. The initial market opportunity for PICSO® is 30% of all ACS patients treated per year, which translates into more than 350,000 patients in the U.S. and Europe.

The Miracor PICSO® Impulse System is CE-marked and can be used during coronary revascularization procedures following myocardial infarction and other types of acute coronary syndromes to intermittently increase the pressure in the coronary venous system. The technology is for investigational use only in the United States at this time.

Click here for video animation of PICSO®.

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