Dr. Juan-Carlos Verdeja Performs Appendectomy With No Perceptible Scarring

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardica, Inc. CRDC today announced that Juan-Carlos Verdeja, M.D., F.A.C.S., completed a laparoscopic appendectomy procedure at South Miami Hospital in Florida with virtually no perceptible scar. Using the MicroCutter XCHANGE^® 30, the world's first and only five-millimeter surgical stapler that articulates to 80 degrees, facilitates this surgical advance resulting in a successful removal of the appendix and improved patient satisfaction due to minimized scarring and recovery time.

"The recent introduction of this smaller surgical stapler with an innovative design delivers on the promise of further reducing the impact of minimally invasive surgery," commented Dr. Verdeja, chief of the General Surgery Division for Baptist Health Medical Group and medical director of emergency surgical services for Baptist Health South Florida. "The ability to use the same, smaller trocar for all tools – camera, grasper, energy devices, and stapler -- represents a game-changing advance in minimally-invasive surgery, where we achieve the same surgical outcome but improve patient outcome by using the five-millimeter stapler to further reduce the risk of infection and pain associated with any surgical procedures."

Dr. Verdeja performed the appendectomy on a 55 year old female patient. He deployed the MicroCutter XCHANGE 30 through the umbilicus, which leaves no scarring, and just two 3mm incisions from the grasper and camera tools, imperceptible to the human eye. The patient was discharged the same day, with no complications following the procedure. 

"The combined use of microlaparoscopy and the MicroCutter XCHANGE 30 represents the next level of 'downsizing' what was already considered a minimally invasive procedure," commented Dr. Verdeja, who is also director of laparoscopy and minimally invasive surgery at Florida International University College of Medicine.

Cardica's MicroCutter XCHANGE 30 device received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in multiple open or minimally-invasive surgical procedures for the transection, resection and/or creation of anastomoses in small and large intestine, as well as the transection of the appendix.

About Cardica
Cardica designs and manufactures proprietary stapling and anastomotic devices for cardiac and laparoscopic surgical procedures. Cardica's technology portfolio is intended to reduce operating time and facilitate minimally-invasive and robot-assisted surgeries. Cardica's MicroCutter XCHANGE^® 30, a cartridge-based articulating surgical stapling device with a five-millimeter shaft diameter, is manufactured and cleared for use in a variety of gastrointestinal procedures and appendectomies in the United States, and is marketed for a wide range of surgical procedures in Europe. Cardica is developing the Cardica^® MicroCutter XCHANGE^® 45, a cartridge-based microcutter device that is being designed with an eight-millimeter shaft to be used in a variety of procedures, including bariatric, colorectal, thoracic and general surgery. The Cardica MicroCutter XCHANGE 45 product requires 510(k) clearance and CE Mark and is not yet commercially available in the U.S. or internationally. In addition, Cardica manufactures and markets its automated anastomosis systems, the C-Port^® Distal Anastomosis Systems and PAS-Port^® Proximal Anastomosis System for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, and has shipped over 50,000 units throughout the world.

Forward-Looking Statements
The statements in this press release regarding the anticipated benefits of using Cardica's MicroCutter XCHANGE 30 and cartridges are "forward-looking statements." There are a number of important factors that could cause Cardica's results to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including: that prospective customers may not perceive the benefits of the XCHANGE 30 to be sufficient to warrant its purchase; that prospective customers may be constrained by pricing pressures or purchasing requirements in the hospitals and facilities in which they work, which could prevent them from purchasing the XCHANGE 30; as well as other risks detailed from time to time in Cardica's reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014, under the caption "Risk Factors," filed on May 7, 2014. Cardica expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein. You are encouraged to read Cardica's reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available at www.sec.gov.

SOURCE Cardica, Inc.