Atritech to Release PROTECT AF Trial Results at ACC

March 6, 2009 - Atritech Inc. will release PROTECT AF trial results on WATCHMAN LAA closure technology comparing the device to the current standard of care, warfarin therapy, in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

The results will be unveiled at the Late Breaking Clinical Trial session during the I2 Summit Scientific Meeting at 8:30 am on March 28, 2009, as part of the Annual Meeting of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) being held March 28-31 in Orlando, FL.

The presentation will be made by David Holmes, M.D., principal investigator of the PROTECT AF trial. Hand-on demonstrations of the WATCHMAN technology will be available at the Atritech booth 2857.
The WATCHMAN device continues to be implanted in a limited number of sites while the product is under review at the FDA. For investigational use only, it is intended as an alternative to warfarin therapy for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. Patients with atrial fibrillation are at a significantly greater risk of having a stroke due to embolization of clots that may form in the LAA. Typically these patients require blood thinning medications to prevent these clots from forming in the heart. Current medical therapy requires frequent monitoring and has diet and other drug interactions and increases the risk of bleeding. The WATCHMAN device may be an effective alternative to warfarin for these patients.

For more information: www.atritech.net