NeoChord Announces Successful Completion of First Beating Heart Repair Procedures in China


ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn., Sept. 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoChord, Inc., a privately-held medical technology company leading the advancement of beating heart mitral valve repair in patients suffering from mitral valve regurgitation, today announced that it has successfully treated the first patients in Asia using the NeoChord procedure at Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) in Hong Kong.

The QMH Heart Team was led by consultants in cardiothoracic surgery, Dr. Simon Lam, MD and Dr. Daniel Chan, MD, who successfully treated five consecutive patients with degenerative mitral valve regurgitation.  In each of the five cases, the NeoChord procedure performed as intended. In commenting on his initial cases, Dr. Lam noted, “We are pleased to be able to provide this beating heart mitral repair treatment option for our patients suffering from mitral regurgitation. All five patients are doing extremely well and have experienced excellent procedural outcomes.”

“We are very pleased to be the first center in Asia to bring this innovative technology to our patients at Queen Mary Hospital,” stated Dr. Chan. “The short-term and mid-term benefits of the NeoChord procedure have been established with numerous studies and publications, as well as, in the clinical setting with more than 1,000 patients treated to date.

The NeoChord procedure is a beating heart, echo-guided treatment option for patients with mitral valve regurgitation and is proven to resolve and restore normal mitral valve function. In standard mitral valve repair procedures, patients are placed on cardiopulmonary bypass: the heart is arrested while the mitral valve is exposed and repaired. NeoChord’s technology allows for a truly minimally invasive procedure via a transapical incision on a beating heart without the need for cardio-pulmonary bypass or aortic cross-clamping. With the NeoChord procedure, the surgeon uses real-time feedback in the OR, to precisely adjust the length of the newly placed chord and to reduce and eliminate mitral valve regurgitation all while the heart is beating.

“We are privileged to partner with Queen Mary and bring the NeoChord procedure to patients in Hong Kong. This partnership delivers on our commitment to bring the most advanced technology for clinicians and their patients affected by degenerative mitral valve regurgitation,” stated David Chung, president and chief executive officer of NeoChord. “Our vast experience throughout Europe has helped to perfect the procedure and to select the optimal patients for a predictable outcome. We look forward to continuing to improve the quality of life for patients afflicted with mitral regurgitation.”

About Queen Mary Hospital
Founded in 1937, QMH is 1706-bed regional acute care teaching facility at the University of Hong Kong, offering high-quality healthcare services and providing general medical and surgical services to the residents of the Western and Southern districts of China.  Queen Mary Hospital is the only heart, heart-lung transplant and pediatric cardiac surgery center in Hong Kong and serves as a tertiary referral center. 

About NeoChord, Inc.
Founded in 2007, NeoChord is a privately held medical technology company leading the advancement of beating heart mitral valve repair in patients suffering from mitral valve regurgitation. The company’s flagship product, the NeoChord Artificial Chordae Delivery System received CE market clearance in December 2012.  For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.neochord.com.

The NeoChord Artificial Chordae Delivery System, Model DS1000, meets the essential requirements referred to in Article 3 of the MDD 93/42/EEC and is labeled with the CE marking of conformity.

In the United States the NeoChord Artificial Chordae Delivery System, Model DS1000 is for Investigational Use Only and is limited by Federal (United States) law to Investigational use. 

NEOCHORD, DS1000, RECHORD, NEOCHORD CONSULTCONNECT, ACCHORD, the stylized logos, and Transforming Mitral Valve Repair are registered trademarks or service marks of NeoChord, Inc. Copyright © 2018 NeoChord, Inc.

Contact
Bruce Van Deman
NeoChord, Inc.
(952) 698-7812 or (949) 413-1301
bvandeman@neochord.com