Sorin Group Announces FDA Clearance and First U.S. Implant of Memo 3D ReChord(TM) Annuloplasty Ring

Sorin Group (MIL:SRN), (Reuters Code: SORN.MI), a global medical device company and a leader in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for Memo 3D ReChord™, an innovative semi-rigid annuloplasty ring for mitral valve repair.

The new Memo 3D ReChord, Sorin Group’s latest innovation in mitral valve repair, incorporates an innovative chordal guide system into the existing Memo 3D ring to simplify and standardize the approach to artificial chord replacement. Memo 3D ReChord’s unique design streamlines mitral repair procedures while allowing surgeons to obtain reproducible results even in advanced chordal reconstructions.

Memo 3D ReChord‘s one-of-its-kind features include:

• A unique temporary chordal guide system that simplifies artificial chord replacement
• Sorin's exclusive Carbofilm™ coating to enhance hemo-compatibility
• Innovative cell-structure design to accommodate the mitral saddle shape while enabling the physiological 3D motion of the native annulus.

Steven F. Bolling, M.D., Professor of Cardiac Surgery, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI who conducted the first implantation of the ring in the United States, commented on his experience: "The Memo 3D ReChord is simple to use with a minimal learning curve for new users. The chordal guide system gives surgeons more confidence when performing anterior mitral leaflet repairs with Gore-Tex^® chordae.
I believe that using the Memo 3D ReChord allows surgeons to deliver more reproducible results during this procedure, ultimately improving patient outcomes. Offering a solution that standardizes artificial chord replacement may actually increase the number of anterior mitral leaflet repairs performed each year. ”

"The Memo 3D ReChord implant performed by Prof. Bolling and his team represents the first step in strategically growing our presence in the US mitral valve repair market,” said Michel Darnaud, President Cardiac Surgery Business Unit, Sorin Group. "The most gratifying aspect of this first U.S. experience is to see Sorin’s technology deliver on the Company’s commitment to increase product standards for physicians while improving patient outcomes."

About Sorin Group
Sorin Group (www.sorin.com) is a global, medical device company and a leader in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The Company develops, manufactures, and markets medical technologies for cardiac surgery and for the treatment of cardiac rhythm disorders. With 3, 500 employees worldwide,Sorin Group focuses on two major therapeutic areas: Cardiac Surgery (cardiopulmonary products for open heart surgery and heart valve repair or replacement prostheses) and Cardiac Rhythm Management (pacemakers, defibrillators and non invasive monitoring to diagnose arrhythmias and deliver anti-arrhythmia therapies as well as cardiac resynchronization devices for heart failure treatment) Every year, over one million patients are treated with Sorin Group devices in more than 100 countries.

For more information, please visit www.sorin.com.