Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Recognized as an ABIOMED Center of Excellence

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NEW BRUNSWICK – ABIOMED, a leading developer and manufacturer of medical products that assist the pumping function of failing hearts, has selected Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick as a “Center of Excellence” for its cardiac program.

As a Center of Excellence, RWJUH will help set standards for physician training on ABIOMED’s Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs), which provide temporary circulatory support for patients in acute heart failure, and will share best practices related to VAD implantation and patient care. The recognition also extends the ongoing research between Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and ABIOMED.

“It is a testimony to the excellence of our entire cardiac team,” said Mark Anderson, MD, chief of cardiac surgery at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and associate professor of surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “Our high-quality nurses, perfusionists, cardiologists and cardiac surgeons have helped us to gain this Center of Excellence designation.”

Dr. Anderson led a national study on the use of ABIOMED’s VADs entitled “Mechanical Circulatory Support Improves Recovery Outcomes in Profound Cardiogenic Shock Post Acute Myocardial Infarction.” The study found patients who suffered a heart attack followed by cardiogenic shock could recover the natural function of their heart when given AB5000 circulatory support for an average of 31 days. Of the patients who were able to survive this traumatic coronary event, 67 percent were able to recover.

The AB5000 was FDA approved in September 2003 to provide temporary support for one or both sides of the natural heart in circumstances where the heart has failed, giving the patient’s heart the opportunity to rest and potentially recover - and giving surgeons the therapeutic flexibility necessary to determine the best endpoint for treatment. The AB5000 and the BVS 5000 are the only devices approved by the FDA for the recovery of the natural heart.

About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is a 600-bed academic medical center providing state-of-the-art care across a wide range of health care services. Specialties include cardiac care from screening to heart surgery and transplantation, cancer care, emergency medicine, pediatrics and maternal-fetal medicine. The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. Consumers Digest magazine ranked the hospital fifth in the nation in patient safety initiatives. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified RWJUH as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. New Jersey Monthly and New York magazine report that RWJUH has more top physicians than any other hospital in New Jersey. RWJUH is also a three-time recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence.

About ABIOMED

Based in Danvers, Massachusetts, ABIOMED, Inc. is a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical products designed to assist or replace the pumping function of the failing heart. ABIOMED currently manufactures and sells the AB5000™ Circulatory Support System and the BVS® 5000 Biventricular Support System for the temporary support of all patients with failing but potentially recoverable hearts. In Europe, ABIOMED offers the IMPELLA® RECOVER® minimally invasive cardiovascular support systems under CE Mark approval. The IMPELLA® 2.5 is an investigational device limited by Federal Law solely to investigational use in the United States. Other IMPELLA devices are not yet available for sale in the United States. The Company’s AbioCor® Implantable Replacement Heart was the subject of an initial clinical trial under an Investigational Device Exemption from the United States Food and Drug Administration. The AbioCor has not been approved for commercial distribution, and is not available for use or sale outside of the initial clinical trial. For additional information please visit: www.abiomed.com.

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Contacts:

Liza Heapes
ABIOMED, INC.
Media Relations
978-646-1668
mediarelations@abiomed.com

Kristen Walsh
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Media Relations Manager
732-937-8519
kristen.walsh@rwjuh.edu