Jan 27, 1999
Guidant Announces First Implant of VENTAK VR Defibrillation System

Indianapolis, IN - Guidant Corporation (NYSE and PCX: GDT), a worldwide leader in implantable defibrillation systems, today announced the first implant of the VENTAK® VR AICD(tm) Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator system.

Manufactured by Guidant's Cardiac Rhythm Management Group (CRM), the VENTAK VR is a small, 51 cc defibrillation device with single-chamber adaptive-rate pacing capability.

"The system is designed to be easy to use and specific to the needs of patients who require only single-chamber pacing support," noted Jay Graf, president of Guidant''s CRM group. "In addition to delivering cardioversion and defibrillation therapies to correct life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms, the VENTAK VR device offers adaptive-rate pacing capability that is designed to automatically and continuously determine pacing support required as a patient''s activity changes," he added.

The first implant occurred on January 26 at St. Michael''s Hospital in Toronto, Canada. Drs. Paul Dorian and Allan Lossing performed the implant in a 67-year-old male who recently survived a sudden cardiac arrest.

A global leader in the medical device industry, Guidant provides innovative, minimally invasive and cost-effective products and services for the treatment of cardiovascular and vascular disease. For more information on Guidant''s products and services, visit the company''s web site at http://www.guidant.com.