St. Jude Medical Celebrates Two Millionth Mechanical Heart Valve Implant

St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ), a global medical device company, today announced that the company will celebrate the treatment of more than 2 million patients with its mechanical heart valve technology. This milestone, a landmark achievement for prosthetic heart valves, demonstrates the company’s commitment to cardiac surgery and improving patient outcomes.

For more than 30 years, St. Jude Medical has offered patients the gold standard in mechanical heart valve performance and durability. Today, with more than 2 million patients benefiting from its proven valve technology, St. Jude Medical commemorates this important milestone with leading physicians and institutions around the world that have contributed to the success of its mechanical heart valve products.

"For 30 years I have been using St. Jude Medical mechanical heart valves because of their qualities, in particular their unique pivot guards. This valve has shown an impeccable durability and a low complication rate. The St. Jude Medical mechanical heart valve remains my choice for both aortic and mitral position,” said Professor Alain Pavie, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Hospital La Pitié-Salpêtrière located in Paris, France.

As a pioneer in heart valve technology, St. Jude Medical continues to innovate replacement technologies for patients with diseased, damaged or malfunctioning heart valves. Using the same market-leading expertise as was used for its mechanical heart valve technology, St. Jude Medical has developed the Trifecta™ heart valve, a next-generation tissue valve that has a tri-leaflet stented pericardial design for excellent hemodynamic performance. Designed to be implanted in the supra-annular aortic position, the valve features leaflets manufactured from pericardial tissue attached to the exterior of the valve stent. This design allows the leaflets to open more fully and efficiently, mimicking the performance of a healthy aortic heart valve, while also minimizing tissue abrasion through tissue-to-tissue (stent-to-leaflet) contact.

"For years, St. Jude Medical has worked closely with physicians and institutions around the world to develop our exceptional valve technology,” said Frank J. Callaghan, president of the St. Jude Medical Cardiovascular Division. "This significant milestone is more than just a number, it signifies the trust and confidence physicians have in St. Jude Medical valves. As we move forward with new technologies like our Trifecta valve, we are not only continuing the legacy that was instilled by our mechanical valves, but innovating advanced, best-in-class life-saving technologies.”

The St. Jude Medical valve product portfolio includes market-leading mechanical heart valves, valve annuloplasty rings, porcine tissue valves with superior durability for both the aortic and mitral positions and Trifecta, the newest stented bovine pericardial tissue valve designed for superior hemodynamics.

The Trifecta valve received European CE Mark approval and was fully launched in Europe in 2010. The Trifecta valve is not approved for use in the United States.

About St. Jude Medical

St. Jude Medical develops medical technology and services that focus on putting more control into the hands of those who treat cardiac, neurological and chronic pain patients worldwide. The company is dedicated to advancing the practice of medicine by reducing risk wherever possible and contributing to successful outcomes for every patient. St. Jude Medical is headquartered in St. Paul, Minn. and has four major focus areas that include: cardiac rhythm management, atrial fibrillation, cardiovascular and neuromodulation. For more information, please visit sjm.com.

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