PLC Systems
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Company's Heart Laser transmyocardial revascularization system shows "significant promise" as an alternative therapy for angina patients who are not able to undergo angioplasty or cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, according to results of two Phase II studies presented Nov. 17 at the American Heart Association annual meeting in Dallas. After an accumulated 70 patient months, a Harvard Medical School study showed that: eight patients reduced their angina class ratings by one to four classes; blood flow in the treated area improved; fixed defects were reduced in size by 40%; and there was an average 25% reduction in the size of reversible defects by six months. In a Texas Heart Institute study, 78% of treated areas showed a mean blood flow increase of 9% at three months, and stress-induced perfusion defects dropped 7%