UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

Commission file number 1-13165

ARTIVION, INC.
‎(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (770) 419-3355

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes x No 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one).

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 USC. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes o No x

As of June 30, 2021 the aggregate market value of the voting stock of the Registrant held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $1,069,799,941 computed using the closing price of $28.40 per share of Common Stock on June 30, 2021, the last trading day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, as reported by the New York Stock Exchange, based on management’s belief that Registrant has no affiliates other than its directors and executive officers.

As of February 18, 2022 the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock of the registrant was 40,115,521.

Documents Incorporated By Reference

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Forward-Looking Statements

This Form 10-K includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements give our expectations or forecasts of future events as of the date of this Form 10-K. In some cases, words such as “could,” “may,” “might,” “will,” “would,” “shall,” “should,” “pro forma,” “potential,” “pending,” “intend,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “future,” “assume,” and variations of these types of words or other similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are made as of the date of this Form 10-K and reflect the views of management as of the date of this Form 10-K.

All statements included herein, other than statements of historical facts, that address activities, events, or developments that we expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future, or that reflect our beliefs about the future and/or expectations, are forward-looking statements, including statements about the following:

Our belief that new products, new indications, global expansion, and business development are the four growth areas that will drive our business in the future;

The potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on product demand and our product sales, business operations, manufacturing operations, supply chain, cash flow, workforce, clinical and regulatory timelines, and our research and development projects;

Our belief that our distributors may delay or reduce purchases of products in US Dollars depending on the relative price of goods in their local currencies;

Our beliefs that the use of surgical adhesives and sealants, with or without sutures and staples, for certain indications can enhance the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of certain procedures through more effective and rapid wound closure;

Our beliefs and anticipation regarding the favorable attributes and benefits of our products, the basis on which our products compete, our physician education activities, the advantages of our relationships with organ and tissue procurement organizations and tissue banks, the FDA classification of our medical devices, our compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and the advantages of our intellectual property and its significance to our segments and our business as a whole, our relations with our employees, timelines regarding product launches and regulatory certifications, clearances, renewals, and approvals;

Our beliefs about potential competition and competitive products, potential adverse regulatory consequences, potential security vulnerabilities, and the associated potential adverse effects on our business;

Our beliefs about the impact of the contaminated saline solution and the tissue processed with contaminated saline solution we identified in the fourth quarter of 2020;

Our beliefs regarding our global expansion efforts, including the international growth opportunity that would be provided by obtaining regulatory approval for BioGlue in China;

The dependencies affecting our ability to realize the anticipated business opportunities, growth prospects, synergies, and other benefits of the agreements with Endospan and Baxter and our acquisition of Ascyrus, and our beliefs about the costs and timelines for certain clinical trial milestones for the regulatory approvals of the NEXUS stent graft system in the US and the AMDS globally;

Our beliefs regarding the fair value of our acquisitions, divestitures, and other business development activities and the estimates and assumptions about the future achievements of milestones and future revenues and cash flows related to those business development activities, including our ability to achieve the milestones in the Baxter Transaction;

Our beliefs about the anticipated benefits from our corporate reincorporation and rebranding and the risks posed by the same;

Our beliefs about the present value and potential impairment of our intangible assets and leases;

Our beliefs about the timing for handpiece availability and CardioGenesis cardiac laser therapy revenue;

Our beliefs regarding the impact alternative anticoagulation therapy may and transcatheter heart valve replacement have on the number of patients choosing On-X mechanical heart valves;

Our beliefs about our ability to make timely transitions to our notified bodies and obtain renewals for our CE Marks impacted by Brexit and the transition to the Medical Device Regulation (“MDR”) in Europe, our ability to obtain derogations related to the same, and the impact these renewals and derogations may have on our business;

Our beliefs about our R&D and product pipeline, including our beliefs about the timing of our clinical trials and product launches;

Our belief that revenues for preservation services, particularly revenues for certain high-demand cardiac tissues, can vary from quarter to quarter and year to year due to a variety of factors including: quantity and type of incoming tissues, yields of tissue through the preservation process, timing of receipt of donor information, staffing levels, timing of the release of tissues to an implantable status, demand for certain tissue types due to the number and type of procedures being performed, and pressures from competing products or services;

Our beliefs regarding the seasonal nature of the demand for some of our products and services and the reasons for such seasonality, if any, and regarding the impact of consignment inventory on product sales, if any;

Our belief that our cash from operations and existing cash and cash equivalents, will enable us to meet our current operational liquidity needs for at least the next twelve months, our expectations regarding future cash requirements, and the impact that our cash requirements might have on our cash flows for the next twelve months;

Our expectation regarding the impact on cash flows of undertaking significant business development activities and the potential need to obtain additional debt financing or equity financing;

Our belief that we will incur expenses for research and development projects, including for clinical research projects to gain regulatory approvals for products or indications, including On-X, aortic stents and stent grafts, and BioGlue products, and for research and development for new products despite reduced planned spending due to COVID-19 and that our efforts to develop new products and technologies will likely require additional investment, research, and new clinical studies or data;

Our beliefs about pending and potential legal or other governmental or regulatory proceedings;

Our expectations regarding the timing of clinical research work and regulatory approvals for and expected distribution of products or indications, including On-X, aortic stents and stent grafts, and BioGlue products, and CryoValve SGPV if the FDA reclassifies allograft heart valves as Class III medical devices;

Our beliefs and expectations regarding the utilization of net operating loss carryforwards from our acquisitions of JOTEC, On-X, Hemosphere, Inc., and Cardiogenesis Corporation;

Our beliefs about our operating results which may fluctuate significantly on a periodic basis as a result of internal and external factors, including reduced demand for our products, availability of products, materials, and supplies, strategic actions we take such as acquisitions or divestitures, unanticipated costs and expenses, market reception of our new or improved product offerings, and interest rate and currency fluctuations; and

Other statements regarding projections of future financial and business performance; anticipated growth and trends in our business and the markets relevant to our business, including as our growth relates to our competitors; the robustness and reliability of our workforce and supply chain; future production capacity and product supply; the availability and benefits of our products in the future; and the expected timing and impact of our strategic initiatives.

These and other forward-looking statements reflect the views of management at the time such statements are originally made based on certain assumptions and analyses made by us in light of our experience and our perception of historical trends, current conditions, and expected future developments, as well as other factors we believe are appropriate in the circumstances and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, estimates, and assumptions. Whether actual results and developments will conform with our expectations and predictions, however, is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from our expectations, including, without limitation, in addition to those specified in the text surrounding such statements, the risk factors discussed in Item 1A of this Form 10-K and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this Form 10-K are qualified by these cautionary statements, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by us will be realized, or even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, us or our business or operations. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made in this Form 10-K and in other documents we file from time to time with the SEC that disclose risks and uncertainties that may affect our business. Unless specifically indicated otherwise, the forward-looking statements in this Form 10-K do not reflect the potential impact of any divestitures, mergers, acquisitions, or other business combinations that have not been completed as of the date of this filing. We assume no obligation, and expressly disclaim any duty, to update publicly any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

PART I

Item 1. Business.

Overview

Artivion, Inc. (“Artivion,” the “Company,” “we,” or “us”), is a leader in the manufacturing, processing, and distribution of medical devices and implantable human tissues used in cardiac and vascular surgical procedures for patients with aortic disease. We have four major product families: aortic stents and stent grafts, surgical sealants, On-X^® mechanical heart valves and related surgical products, and implantable cardiac and vascular human tissues. Aortic stents and stent grafts include JOTEC^® stent grafts and surgical products (collectively, “JOTEC Products”), the Ascyrus Medical Dissection Stent (“AMDS”) hybrid prosthesis, and the NEXUS^® endovascular stent graft system (“NEXUS”). Surgical sealants include BioGlue^® Surgical Adhesive (“BioGlue”) products. In addition to these four major product families, we sell or distribute PhotoFix^® bovine surgical patches, CardioGenesis^® cardiac laser therapy, Therion^® chorioamniotic allografts (previously marketed as NeoPatch^®), and PerClot^® hemostatic powder (prior to the sale to a subsidiary of Baxter International, Inc (“Baxter”)).

On January 1, 2022 we converted our state of incorporation from Florida to Delaware and on January 18, 2022 we changed our name from CryoLife, Inc. to Artivion, Inc. Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol of “AORT” and traded under the symbol “CRY” prior to January 24, 2022.

Corporate Structure

Our main operating subsidiaries include JOTEC GmbH (“JOTEC”), a Hechingen, Germany-based endovascular and surgical products company acquired on December 1, 2017 and On-X Life Technologies, Inc. (“On-X”), an Austin, Texas-based, mechanical heart valve company acquired on January 20, 2016, as well as separate country entities to support direct sales operations in Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK. Additionally, we have entities in Australia, China, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, to provide sales and marketing support for the Asia Pacific region.

Segments and Geographic Information

We have two reportable segments organized according to our products and services: Medical Devices and Preservation Services. The Medical Devices segment includes revenues from sales of aortic stents and stent grafts, surgical sealants, On-X, and other product revenues. The Preservation Services segment includes services revenues from the preservation of cardiac and vascular implantable human tissues. See Part II, Item 8, Note 18 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” for further information on our segments and for our geographic information.

Strategy

Artivion is committed to partnering with surgeons and cardiologists to deliver innovative technologies of unsurpassed quality that restore the health of patients with aortic disease. Our strategic plan is focused on four growth areas that we expect to drive our business in the future. We plan to drive growth through:

New Products – Through product development and commercialization of new and next-generation products and services focused on aortic repair;

New Indications – Through regulatory approvals in new markets and for new products and through approvals for expanded indications for our existing products and services;

Global Expansion – By entering new international markets, establishing new international direct sales territories, and developing our commercial infrastructure in new markets, including emerging markets, such as China and Brazil; and

Business Development – By pursuing select acquisitions, licensing, and distribution opportunities that are aligned to our objectives and complement our existing products, services, and infrastructure. Examples include our acquisitions of JOTEC, On-X, and Ascyrus Medical LLC, (“Ascyrus”) and our distribution agreement and purchase option for NEXUS. To the extent that we identify, develop, or acquire non-core products or applications, we may dispose of these assets or pursue licensing or distribution agreements with third-party partners for development or commercialization such as with the sale of the PerClot product line.

Markets, Products, Services, and Competition

Our medical devices and preservation services are primarily used by cardiac and vascular surgeons to treat patients with aortic disease, including heart valve disease, aortic aneurysms and dissections, and, to a lesser extent, other conditions in cardiac and vascular surgery.

We face competition from several domestic and international medical device, pharmaceutical, and biopharmaceutical companies and from both for-profit and non-profit tissue processors. Many of our current and potential competitors have greater financial and personnel resources than we have. Some of these competitors might have greater experience in developing products, procuring tissues, conducting clinical trials, and obtaining regulatory approvals, and they might have large contracts with hospitals under which they can obtain purchase requirements that place our products at a disadvantage. Some of these competitors might obtain patent protection or approval or clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) or foreign regulators sooner than we do. Some might have superior manufacturing efficiency, tissue processing capacity, and/or marketing capabilities. We cannot assure that our current or future competitors will not succeed in developing alternative technologies, products, or services that have advantages over those that have been, or are being, developed by us or that would render our products or technologies obsolete or non-competitive. Any of these competitive disadvantages could materially, adversely affect us.

We discuss the disease states in which we compete and our products, services, and technologies that treat these diseases below.

Aortic Disease

Aortic Valve Disease

Patients with heart disease can experience valve insufficiency, regurgitation, or stenosis that may require heart valve repair or replacement surgery. Patients with congenital cardiac defects such as Tetralogy of Fallot, Truncus Arteriosus, and Pulmonary Atresia can require complex cardiac reconstructive surgery to repair the defect. A variety of tissues and synthetic materials are implanted in these cardiac procedures. Implantable human tissues (homografts) and animal tissues (xenografts) as well as other synthetic materials may be used in cardiac procedures. Implantable devices may be entirely synthetic, such as mechanical heart valves, or contain both synthetic materials and xenograft tissue components, such as bioprosthetic heart valves. These devices may be implanted surgically through open heart surgery, or in some cases, without sternotomy through transcatheter valve replacement.

Mechanical heart valves are durable and often last for the remainder of a patient’s life without replacement, even for relatively young patients with long life expectancies. Mechanical heart valves are readily available and are a less expensive solution for those requiring a heart valve replacement. Patients who receive mechanical heart valves are required to undergo long-term blood thinning or anticoagulation drug therapy to minimize the risk of stroke or other complications from the formation of blood clots.

Bioprosthetic heart valves are readily available and are a relatively inexpensive solution for those requiring a valve replacement. Bioprosthetic heart valves contain bovine, equine, or porcine tissues that are typically processed with glutaraldehyde, which may result in progressive calcification, or hardening of the tissue over time, reducing the lifespan of the device. Bioprosthetic heart valves usually have a life of 7 to 20 years, after which the valve typically must be replaced. These valves typically contain a synthetic sewing ring to facilitate surgical implantation. Patients receiving a bioprosthetic heart valve may not require long-term anticoagulation drug therapy, although some of these patients may require anticoagulation drug therapy for other heart or vascular conditions that are common in this patient population.

Multiple heart valve replacements, each requiring open heart surgery, can be a significant concern for patients, particularly younger patients that tend to choose mechanical heart valves over bioprosthetic heart valves. On the other hand, the requirement that mechanical heart valve recipients undergo long-term anticoagulation drug therapy can be a concern for patients that tends to cause some patients to choose bioprosthetic heart valves over mechanical heart valves.

Both mechanical heart valves and bioprosthetic heart valves contain a synthetic sewing ring to facilitate surgical implantation of the device. The sewing rings of both mechanical and bioprosthetic heart valves are synthetic materials that may harbor bacteria and lead to endocarditis and infection that can be difficult to treat with antibiotics. Patients with an infected mechanical or bioprosthetic heart valve may require valve replacement surgery. The 2013 Society of Thoracic Surgeons Guidelines, as published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, have increased the indication (from Class II to Class I) and broadened the scope for using an aortic homograft, or a human heart valve, during aortic valve replacement surgery due to endocarditis. The Class

I indication means that an aortic homograft is the recommended course of treatment when endocarditis has functionally destroyed the aortic valve annulus. The previous Class II indication meant that it was an acceptable course of treatment. Consequently, for many physicians, human heart valves are the preferred alternative to animal-derived and mechanical valves for patients who have, or are at risk to contract, endocarditis.

Human heart valves are used in valve replacement procedures. Human heart valves allow for more normal blood flow, often provide higher cardiac output than mechanical and bioprosthetic heart valves, and do not require long-term anticoagulation drug therapy. Human tissue responds better to treatment for infections, and consequently, for many physicians, human heart valves are the preferred alternative to animal-derived and mechanical heart valves for patients who have or are at risk, to contract, endocarditis. Human tissue valves are also not as susceptible to progressive calcification as glutaraldehyde-fixed bioprosthetic tissues. A Ross Procedure may be a preferred surgical technique by physicians and patients, particularly for young patients, due to the human heart valve’s long-term resistance to calcification and the patient’s relative freedom from re-intervention surgery. In a Ross Procedure, a diseased aortic valve is replaced with a patient’s own pulmonary valve, which is in turn replaced with a donated human pulmonary valve.

Human tissue patches are used in a variety of cardiac repair procedures. Human vascular tissues are used in cardiac and vascular bypass surgery. The transplant of any human tissue that has not been preserved, however, must be accomplished within extremely short time limits. Cryopreservation, or cooling and storing at extremely cold temperatures, expands the treatment options available by extending these timelines. Cryopreserved human tissue patches and human vascular tissues are available for use in a variety of cardiac and vascular procedures.

We currently market the On-X aortic and mitral mechanical heart valves for valve replacement procedures. We also market our cardiac preservation services, including our CryoValve^® and CryoValve SG human tissues, for heart valve replacement surgeries and our CryoPatch^® and CryoPatch SG human tissues for cardiac repair procedures. Our PhotoFix product is a bovine patch device used for cardiac and vascular repair.

Aortic Aneurysms

The aorta is the main artery that carries blood out of the heart through the aortic valve to the rest of the body. It extends upwards from the heart through the aortic arch and then down through the chest and into the abdomen, where it divides into arteries that supply each leg. The aorta is comprised of five segments: ascending, arch, thoracic, thoraco-abdominal, and abdominal. In some patients, part of the aorta can become abnormally large or bulge, referred to as an “aneurysm.”

An aneurysm results from a weakening in the wall of an aorta, which causes the aorta to progressively “balloon” or expand in size. Although an aneurysm can develop anywhere along the aorta, most occur in the section running through the abdomen (abdominal aortic aneurysms or “AAA”). Others occur in the section that runs through the chest (thoracic aortic aneurysms or “TAA”) or the area between the chest and the abdomen (thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysms or “TAAA”). The precise cause of aortic aneurysms is uncertain, but risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, and being male. As an aneurysm grows, the wall of the aorta is progressively weakened until it can split or tear resulting in a ruptured aorta or an aortic dissection. Left untreated, aortic aneurysms can result in ruptured aorta, leading to death.

There are two types of aortic aneurysm repair: open surgical repair and endovascular repair. Open surgical repair can result in reasonable long-term survival but carries risks especially in older patients and those with other serious medical conditions. During open surgical repair, a vascular graft is implanted from above the aneurysm to below the aneurysm in the aorta. Blood will then flow through the graft. This surgery reinforces the diseased aorta and reduces the chance of vessel rupture.

Endovascular repair is a minimally invasive procedure, during which a stent graft is delivered through the femoral artery to the area in the aorta needing repair. The stent graft expands inside the aorta and becomes the new channel for blood flow. The stent graft shields the aneurysm and helps prevent more pressure from building on it, thus preventing it from rupturing.

Following our acquisition of JOTEC, we began commercialization of a broad portfolio of endovascular products for repair of aortic aneurysms. These include highly differentiated products, such as E-xtra Design Engineering, a portfolio of stent grafts tailor-made for a patient’s anatomy for TAAA repair, and the E-liac^TM for repair of aneurysms in the iliac arteries, as well as less differentiated products, including the E-vita^® Thoracic 3G for TAA repair and the E-tegra^TM for AAA repair.

Aortic Dissections

An aortic dissection occurs when the innermost layer of the aorta tears and blood surges through the tear separating the inner layer from the outer layers of the aorta. Younger patients with inherited connective tissue disorders, such as Marfan Syndrome, and patients with bicuspid aortic valves (two leaflets on the valve instead of three) are more likely to develop aortic dissection. In addition, as an aneurysm grows, the wall of the aorta is progressively weakened until it can split or tear, resulting in a ruptured aorta or an aortic dissection. Left untreated, an aortic dissection often results in a ruptured aorta, leading to death.

Aortic dissections often begin in the ascending aorta or aortic arch and may also have an aneurysm or an aortic dissection extending down the descending thoracic aorta. Often, the dissection in the aortic arch and the condition in the descending thoracic aorta are repaired in a two-stage procedure, with one open surgical procedure to repair the arch followed by another procedure to repair the descending thoracic aorta. We sell the E-vita Open Plus, E-vita Open Neo, and AMDS as well as distribute NEXUS to treat these conditions impacting the aortic arch and thoracic aorta.

Other Disease States – Peripheral Vascular Disease and End Stage Renal Disease

Patients with peripheral vascular disease can experience reduced blood flow, usually in the arms and legs. This can result in poor circulation, pain, and sores that do not heal. Failure to achieve revascularization of an obstructed vessel may result in the loss of a limb or even death of the patient. When patients require peripheral bypass surgery, the surgeon’s first choice generally is a graft of the patient’s own tissue (an autograft). In cases of advanced vascular disease, however, patients may not have suitable vascular tissue for transplantation. Other vascular repair procedures include procedures related to infected abdominal aortic grafts, vascular access for dialysis patients, carotid endarterectomy, and vessel repair. These procedures may include the use of bioprosthetic grafts or patches, synthetic grafts or patches, or donated human vascular tissues. Alternative treatments may include the repair, partial removal, or complete removal of the damaged tissue.

End-stage renal disease (“ESRD”) refers to the stage of renal disease when the kidneys do not work well enough for the patient to live without on-going dialysis or kidney transplant. Patients with ESRD often undergo hemodialysis through an access site with an implanted vascular graft. We market our CryoVein^® femoral vein and CryoArtery^® femoral artery vascular preservation services for vascular access.

Bioprosthetic vascular grafts and patches, including those made of bovine or porcine tissue can be used for a variety of vascular repair procedures. Bioprosthetic grafts are readily available and are a relatively inexpensive solution for those requiring a vascular repair procedure. Bioprosthetic tissues are typically processed with glutaraldehyde, which may result in progressive calcification.

Synthetic vascular grafts and patches can be used for a variety of vascular repair procedures. Synthetic grafts are readily available and are a relatively inexpensive solution for those requiring a vascular repair procedure. Synthetic grafts and patches, however, are generally not suitable for use in infected areas because they may harbor bacteria and are difficult to treat with antibiotics. Synthetic vascular grafts have a tendency to obstruct over time, particularly in below-the-knee surgeries.

Human vascular tissues tend to respond better to treatment for infection and remain open and accessible for longer periods of time and, as such, are used in indications where synthetic grafts typically fail, such as in infected areas and for below-the-knee surgeries. Human vascular and arterial tissues are also used in a variety of other reconstruction procedures such as cardiac bypass surgery and as vascular access grafts for hemodialysis patients. The transplant of human tissue that has not been preserved must be accomplished within extremely short time limits. Cryopreservation expands the treatment options available by extending these timelines.

We market our vascular preservation services, including our CryoVein and CryoArtery tissues, and a synthetic surgical graft portfolio for peripheral vascular reconstruction surgeries.

Product Categories and Products

On-X Mechanical Heart Valves

The On-X product line includes the On-X prosthetic aortic and mitral heart valves and the On-X ascending aortic prosthesis (“AAP”). We also distribute CarbonAid^® CO₂ diffusion catheters and sell Chord-X^® ePTFE sutures for mitral chordal replacement, and we offer pyrolytic carbon coating services to other medical device manufacturers as part of the On-X family of products.

On-X heart valves are bileaflet mechanical valves composed of a graphite substrate coated with On-X’s silicon-free pyrolytic carbon coating that provides a smooth microstructure surface. We believe that the smooth pyrolytic carbon surface and other characteristics of the valve, such as full, 90-degree leaflet opening of the valve and flared valve inlet, contribute to the flow dynamics of the On-X valve. The On-X AAP is an On-X aortic valve combined with a synthetic vascular graft to allow physicians to more conveniently treat patients requiring both an aortic valve replacement and replacement of a portion of the ascending aorta with an aortic graft. Each device is available in a range of valve sizes in a variety of sewing ring options to suit physicians’ preferences, along with dedicated instruments to facilitate valve sizing and implantation. On-X heart valves are FDA approved for the replacement of diseased, damaged, or malfunctioning native or prosthetic heart valves in the aortic and mitral positions and are classified as a Class III medical device. We also hold a Conformité Européene Mark product certification (“CE Mark”) for On-X heart valves.

All mechanical heart valve patients require long-term anticoagulation drug therapy with a drug called warfarin to reduce the risk of blood clots and stroke. Because warfarin can also cause a risk of harmful bleeding, dosage must be monitored and may require adjustment over time. Certain dietary restrictions may also be imposed on warfarin patients.

PROACT was a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial comparing a reduced versus standard warfarin dose for On-X heart valve recipients. In the aortic valve replacement arm of PROACT, the reduced warfarin dose group had 60% fewer bleeding events without an increased risk of stroke. As a consequence, in 2015, the FDA approved the On-X aortic valve for use with a lower INR (International Normalized Ratio), which means that patients with On-X heart valves can be managed on lower doses of warfarin for anticoagulation. This new indication was, and still is, unique to the On-X aortic valve. The 2020 American Heart Association / American College of Cardiology guidelines specifically mentioned On-X aortic heart valves as the only mechanical aortic heart valve that can be managed at a low INR of 1.5-2.0. While use of a lower INR has been approved for the On-X aortic heart valve, such use for the On-X mitral heart valve was submitted to the FDA in mid-2021 and is still under FDA review. We currently anticipate receiving FDA approval in 2022.

While patients with an On-X aortic heart valve can be safely maintained at a lower INR, patients with mechanical prosthetic heart valves would still benefit by elimination of the need for warfarin anticoagulation therapy, due to warfarin’s significant drawbacks for patients including the need to frequently draw blood for monitoring and to observe certain dietary and alcohol restrictions. We believe that providing an acceptable alternative to warfarin anticoagulation may increase the number of patients choosing an On-X aortic heart valve not only due to the valve’s existing durability and clinical superiority, but also due to the ability to avoid warfarin.

As a result, Artivion initiated the PROACT Xa clinical trial to determine if patients with an On-X aortic valve can be maintained safely and effectively on apixaban as an alternative to warfarin, given the drawbacks associated with warfarin.  This prospective, randomized, controlled, parallel-arm clinical trial is on-going with enrollment anticipated to be completed in 2022.

On-X heart valves compete primarily with mechanical valves from Abbott Laboratories, Medtronic, plc. (“Medtronic”), and CORCYM (who completed acquisition of the LivaNova heart valve business in June 2021). On-X heart valves compete with these products based on their features and benefits, such as full, 90-degree leaflet opening, pure pyrolytic carbon, flared inlet, and approved labeling claim for reduced INR for aortic valves.

We began selling On-X heart valves in January 2016 following our acquisition of On-X. We sell On-X heart valves throughout the world including North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (collectively, “EMEA”), Asia Pacific (“APAC”), and Latin America (“LATAM”).

Aortic Stents and Stent Grafts

Hybrid stent grafts, surgical grafts, and endovascular stent grafts can be used in the treatment of complex and thoracic and abdominal aortic disease, such as aortic dissections and aortic aneurysms, as well as in other aortic and peripheral procedures.

Thoracic Stents and Stent Grafts

E-vita Open Neo and E-vita Open Plus

E-vita Open Plus is a hybrid stent graft system used in the treatment of patients with either an aneurysm or dissection in the aortic arch and in the descending thoracic aorta. The E-vita Open Plus stent graft system enables a one-stage treatment to repair this condition through a combined surgical and endovascular treatment, providing a more cost-effective solution for the healthcare system and allowing the patient to avoid an additional operation.

We hold a CE Mark for the E-vita Open Plus and additional marketing approvals have been granted in other countries throughout the world. The E-vita Open Plus competes outside the US with products from Terumo Medical Corporation (“Terumo”) and two smaller competitors. We do not currently sell E-vita Open Plus in the US and we believe there are no competitive products currently being commercialized in the US. The E-vita Open Plus competes in the EU primarily on its proven stent graft technology and long-term clinical data.

The E-vita Open Neo is the next generation hybrid stent graft for the E-vita Open Plus that has an improved handling and delivery system. We obtained a CE Mark for E-vita Open Neo in the first quarter of 2020 and began limited distribution of E-vita Open Neo in the second quarter of 2020 with full product launch in the fourth quarter of 2020.

AMDS

We acquired Ascyrus Medical LLC (“Ascyrus”) in September 2020. Ascyrus has developed the AMDS hybrid prosthesis, the world's first aortic arch remodeling device for use in the treatment of acute Type A aortic dissection.  Hemi-arch reconstruction is the standard of care for the treatment of acute Type A aortic dissection. AMDS is used as a complement to, and in conjunction with, hemi-arch reconstruction without adding technical complexity to this life-saving procedure.  The design of the AMDS allows for rapid deployment of the graft in the aortic arch during a standard replacement of the ascending aorta, adding on average less than five minutes to the procedure time.  The deployment of the AMDS preserves the native arch, potentially allowing for minimally invasive re-interventions as needed, including the repair of additional entry tears, rather than an invasive arch repair. In the Dissected Aorta Repair Through Stent (“DARTS”) clinical trial supporting its CE Mark and Health Canada approvals, the AMDS was shown to reduce mortality, complications and reoperations compared to the standard of care, thereby improving the care of patients and offering significant cost savings for the health care system.

AMDS indirectly competes with other manufacturers’ standard open surgical repair and hybrid procedures including aortic debranching, and frozen elephant trunk technique for total arch replacement.

We began selling AMDS in September 2020 following the acquisition of Ascyrus. We sell AMDS outside of the US, including in EMEA, Canada, APAC, and LATAM. We have begun the PERSEVERE clinical trial to gain US approval and anticipate first enrollment in the first half of 2022.

NEXUS

We acquired the exclusive distribution rights in certain countries in Europe for NEXUS in September 2019 from Endospan Ltd., an Israeli corporation (“Endospan”). Endospan holds a CE Mark for NEXUS which is the only endovascular stent graft system approved for the repair of both aneurysms and dissections in the aortic arch. While open surgical repair remains the standard of care for complete aortic arch replacement, endovascular repair offers an alternative, less invasive procedure to treat the aortic arch with decreased surgical morbidity and mortality. The ability to repair the aortic arch with an endovascular approach is especially advantageous for elderly patients who are not suited for open surgery and for patients who were previously treated for a Type A dissection in an open surgical approach. The addition of NEXUS to our highly differentiated aortic stent graft portfolio further strengthens our position as a leader in the aortic repair market.

Several other manufacturers are introducing competitive products through the custom-made device process in Europe and the early feasibility process within the United States, including Cook, Gore, and Bolton Medical. NEXUS also competes with other manufacturers’ standard open repair and hybrid procedures including aortic debranching, frozen elephant trunk, and thoracic endovascular aortic repair (“TEVAR”) with chimneys or snorkels.

We began distribution of NEXUS in the fourth quarter of 2019 in EMEA.

We also entered into a securities purchase option agreement with Endospan in September 2019 which provides us the option to purchase all the outstanding securities of Endospan from Endospan’s securityholders at the time of acquisition (or the option to acquire all of Endospan’s assets) up through a certain period of time after FDA approval of NEXUS. Endospan is currently enrolling patients in their US pivotal IDE trial, TRIOMPHE.

E-vita Thoracic 3G

The E-vita Thoracic 3G is a stent graft system that enables endovascular treatment of TAAs. Its unique spring configuration gives the stent graft flexibility, helping the stent graft adapt to the vessel's shape and ensuring a good seal at the landing zone, even in the case of complex vascular anatomy. Compared to its competing products, its different proximal and distal stent graft configurations, as well as straight and conical designs, enable individual treatment of the diseased aorta. The product line includes a wide portfolio of tapered versions from proximal to distal. The wide variety ensures the possibility of adapting the stent graft to the native course of the descending aorta. The E-vita Thoracic 3G is sometimes used in conjunction with the E-vita Open Plus and E-xtra Design Engineering.

We hold a CE Mark for the E-vita Thoracic 3G and additional marketing approvals have been granted in several other countries throughout the world. The E-vita Thoracic 3G competes primarily with products from Medtronic, Gore, Terumo, and Cook.

E-nya

The E-nya is a thoracic stent graft system for the minimally invasive repair of lesions of the descending aorta, including thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections. The E-nya system was designed to give physicians more options and control while treating both simple and challenging anatomies. The E-nya builds upon JOTEC’s experience in the thoracic endovascular aortic repair market and increases the number of options to treat a broader range of patients.  The system offers both bare spring and covered proximal configurations with tip capture technology, enhancing control and predictability during deployment while achieving optimal outcomes.  The lower profile graft material leverages JOTEC’s expertise in textile manufacturing and is designed for both flexibility in conformance and long-term durability. E-nya competes primarily with products from Medtronic, Gore, Cook, and Terumo.

We obtained a CE Mark for E-nya in the fourth quarter of 2019 and began limited distribution of E-nya in the second quarter of 2020. We have temporarily suspended this limited release while we implement modifications in response to customer feedback and hope to resume limited market release in early 2023.

Abdominal Stents and Stent Grafts

E-xtra Design Engineering

E-xtra Design Engineering is a comprehensive range of stent graft systems for the treatment of aortic vascular diseases that enables surgeons to quickly and efficiently respond to an individual patient’s therapeutic requirements. E-xtra Design Engineering stent graft systems are tailor-made for individual patients based on imaging of the patient’s own aorta. There are currently only limited off-the-shelf products to treat aneurysms in the thoraco-abdominal aorta due to the many side branches in this anatomy where blood flow to vital organs would be obstructed by unbranched stent grafts. JOTEC has pioneered a service whereby it manufactures a customized thoraco-abdominal stent graft within 3 weeks. E-xtra Design Engineering stent graft systems are often used in conjunction with E-vita Thoracic 3G, as well as the AAA offering, the E-tegra, or in combination with both.

We sell E-xtra Design Engineering stent graft systems in EMEA and in a limited number of other countries around the world. E-xtra Design Engineering competes with customized product offerings from Cook and Terumo.

‎

E-nside ^TM

The E-nside TAAA multibranch stent graft system is an off-the-shelf stent graft with pre-cannulated inner branches indicated for treatment of patients with thoraco-abdominal disease. The E-nside’s pre-cannulated inner branches are designed to reduce the overall procedure time which reduces the patient’s exposure to radiation. The vast majority of patients with thoraco-abdominal disease are treated with risky, invasive open surgical procedures, characterized by lengthy hospitalization periods and prolonged recuperation, or with custom-made stent grafts which can take up to 90 days to manufacture. We believe the addition of E-nside positions us well to capture share in the European aortic stent graft market because E-xtra Design Engineering provides patient-specific solutions, and E-nside provides an off-the-shelf solution. Further, there are synergies between E-nside and our portfolio of thoracic and abdominal stent grafts. E-nside competes with products from Cook and Terumo.

We obtained a CE Mark for E-nside in the fourth quarter of 2019 and began limited selling of E-nside in the second quarter of 2020. We fully launched E-nside in 2021.

E-tegra ^TM

The E-tegra is a AAA stent graft system with special stent design for secure sealing that makes difficult vascular anatomies treatable, thus expanding endovascular treatment options for infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms. The design of the E-tegra enables optimal fixation and sealing. It is a proximal laser cut stent with anchors for suprarenal stent graft fixation. Its asymmetric stent design and seamless cover ensure excellent adaptation to the vessel. The product also features a low-profile delivery system with its unique squeeze-to-release mechanism supporting the user by ensuring excellent control during each phase of the implantation. The E-tegra is often used in combination with E-xtra Design Engineering and the E-liac.

We hold a CE Mark for the E-tegra and additional marketing approvals have been granted in several other countries throughout the world. The E-tegra competes with products from several companies including Medtronic, Gore, Terumo, Endologix, and Cook.

E-ventus ^TM BX

E-ventus BX is a balloon-expandable peripheral stent graft indicated for the endovascular treatment of renal and pelvic arteries in cases of ruptures, dissections, and aneurysms. The E-ventus BX stent graft has high flexibility together with high radial strength through the combination of the microporous single-layer ePTFE cover and the cobalt chromium stent. The E-ventus BX stent graft features minimal recoil and foreshortening and enables secure fixation and positioning in the vessel. The E-ventus BX delivery system has a highly flexible catheter that allows easy advancement in the vessel and enables lesions to be reliably reached by the catheter. Radiopaque markers on the delivery system enable secure and accurate positioning of the stent graft. The E-ventus BX is often used in conjunction with E-xtra Design Engineering products, E-nside stent graft, and the E-liac stent graft.

The E-ventus BX has a CE Mark and additional marketing approvals in several other countries throughout the world. The E-ventus BX competes with products from Maquet, Gore, BD and Bentley InnoMed.

E-liac ^TM

The E-liac is a stent graft used to treat aneurysmal iliac arteries as well as aneurysmal iliac side branches. The E-liac is a self-expanding stent graft characterized by easy and safe handling, which makes it possible to safely reach the lesion and accurately position the stent graft in the vessel. We estimate that 20% of patients who have an AAA also have an aneurysmal iliac artery, and as such, the E-liac is often used in conjunction with the E-tegra AAA device as well as one or two E-ventus BX devices.

We hold a CE Mark for the E-liac and additional marketing approvals have been granted in several other countries throughout the world. The E-liac competes with products from Gore and Cook.

Synthetic Vascular Grafts

In addition to our endovascular stent graft offerings, we have a broad line of synthetic vascular grafts that are used in open aortic and peripheral vascular surgical procedures. Our offerings include ePTFE grafts and both woven and knitted polyester

grafts. Not only are we able to manufacture and sell a broad line of synthetic vascular graft offerings, but also, we are able to manufacture our own nitinol stents, given our expertise incorporating nitinol in our synthetic graft systems.

Our synthetic surgical vascular grafts have CE Marks and additional marketing approvals have been granted in several other countries throughout the world. Our synthetic grafts compete with products from Bard, a subsidiary of BD, Gore, LeMaitre, Vascutek, and Maquet.

Surgical Sealants

Closing internal wounds effectively following surgical procedures is critical to the restoration of the function of tissue and to the ultimate success of the surgical procedure. Failure to seal surgical wounds effectively can result in leakage of blood in cardiac surgeries, air in lung surgeries, and cerebrospinal fluid in neurosurgeries potentially resulting in prolonged hospitalization, greater post-operative pain, higher costs, and higher mortality rates.

Sutures and staples facilitate healing by joining wound edges to allow the body to heal naturally. Sutures and staples, however, cannot consistently eliminate air and fluid leakage at the wound site, particularly when used to close tissues containing air or fluids under pressure, such as in blood vessels, the lobes of the lung, and the dural membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord. In some cases, the tissues may be friable, which complicates surgical wound closure. In addition, it can be difficult and time consuming for the physician to apply sutures and staples in minimally invasive surgical procedures where the physician must operate through small access openings. We believe that the use of surgical adhesives and sealants, with or without sutures and staples, in certain areas can enhance the efficacy of these procedures through more effective and rapid wound closure.

Our proprietary BioGlue product is a polymer consisting of bovine blood protein and an agent for cross-linking proteins, which was developed for use in cardiac, vascular, neurologic and pulmonary procedures. BioGlue is stronger than other cardiovascular sealants with a tensile strength that is four to five times that of fibrin sealants. BioGlue begins to polymerize within 20 to 30 seconds and reaches its bonding strength within two minutes and it adheres to tissues in a wet field. BioGlue is dispensed through a controlled delivery system that consists of a disposable syringe and various applicator tips. BioGlue syringes are available in pre-filled 2ml, 5ml, and 10ml volumes with applicator tips suitable for various applications.

BioGlue is FDA approved as an adjunct to sutures and staples for use in adult patients in open surgical repair of large vessels. We distribute BioGlue under CE Mark for repair of soft tissues (which include cardiac, vascular, and pulmonary) (See also, “Government Regulation – International Approval Requirements” and Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors—Industry Risks— Our products and tissues are highly regulated and subject to significant quality and regulatory risks.” for additional discussion about our BioGlue CE Mark). We also distribute BioGlue in Japan where it is approved for adhesion and support of hemostasis for aortotomy closure sites, suture/anastomosis sites (including aortic dissection and anastomosis sites with use of a prosthetic graft), and suture sites on the heart. Additional marketing approvals have been granted for specified applications in several other countries throughout the world.

BioGlue competes primarily with surgical sealants from Baxter; Ethicon; Integra LifeSciences; and Bard, a subsidiary of BD. BioGlue competes with these products based on its features and benefits, such as its strength and ease of use.

We sell BioGlue throughout the world including North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM.

Preservation Services

Cardiac Preservation Services

Our proprietary preservation process involves our dissection, processing, preservation, and storage of donated human tissues until they are shipped to a hospital where they are implanted by physicians. The cardiac tissues we currently preserve include aortic and pulmonary heart valves and cardiac patches in three primary pulmonary anatomic configurations: hemi-artery, trunk, and branch. These tissues more closely resemble in structure, and simulate the performance of, the patient’s own tissue compared to non-human tissue alternatives. Our cardiac tissues are used in a variety of valve replacement and cardiac reconstruction surgeries. We believe the human tissues we distribute offer specific clinical advantages over mechanical, synthetic, and bioprosthetic alternatives. Depending on the alternative, the clinical advantages of our heart valves include more natural blood flow properties, better results in patients who have endocarditis, no requirement for long-term drug therapy to prevent excessive blood clotting, and a reduced risk of catastrophic failure, thromboembolism (stroke), or deterioration due to calcification.

Our cardiac tissues include the CryoValve^® SG pulmonary heart valve (“CryoValve SGPV”) and the CryoPatch^® SG pulmonary cardiac patch (“CryoPatch SG”) which are both processed with our proprietary SynerGraft^® decellularization technology. A multi-center study showed that, at 10 years, freedom from conduit dysfunction was significantly better in patients receiving our proprietary SynerGraft SGPV valves (83%) compared with patients receiving standard allografts (60%).

We believe that the human heart valves preserved by us compare favorably with bioprosthetic and mechanical valves for certain indications and patient populations, and that the human cardiac patches preserved by us compare favorably with xenograft small intestine submucosa (“SIS”) and glutaraldehyde fixed bovine pericardial patches due to the benefits of human tissue discussed above. Human tissue is preferred by many physicians as the replacement alternative with respect to certain medical conditions, such as pediatric cardiac reconstruction, congenital cardiac defect repair, valve replacements for women in their child-bearing years, and valve replacements for patients with endocarditis. In addition, implantation of SynerGraft treated cardiac tissue reduces the risk for induction of Class I and Class II alloantibodies, based on Panel Reactive Antibody (“PRA”) measured at up to one year, compared to standard processed cardiac tissues. We believe that this reduced risk may provide a competitive advantage for CryoValve SGPV and CryoPatch SG for patients who later need a whole organ transplant, because an increased PRA can decrease the number of possible donors for subsequent organ transplants and increase time on transplant waiting lists.

Two other domestic tissue processors, LifeNet Health and LeMaitre Vascular, offer preserved human heart valves and patches in competition with us. We believe that we compete favorably on the basis of surgeon preference, documented clinical data, technology, and customer service, particularly with respect to the capabilities of our field representatives. Alternatives to human heart valves processed by us include valve repair and valve replacement with bioprosthetic valves or mechanical valves. We compete with bioprosthetic or mechanical valves from companies including Medtronic, Edwards Life Sciences, CORCYM (who completed acquisition of the LivaNova heart valve business in June 2021), and Abbott Laboratories. Alternatives to our human cardiac patches include xenograft SIS and glutaraldehyde fixed bovine pericardial patches. We compete with these xenograft products from companies including Aziyo Biologics, Edwards Life Sciences, Anteris Technologies, Abbott Laboratories, and Baxter.

We ship human cardiac tissues to implanting institutions throughout the US. Our CryoValve SGPV and CryoPatch SG are distributed under 510(k) clearance from the FDA. We also ship limited tissues in Canada and other countries under special access programs.

Vascular Preservation Services

Our proprietary preservation process involves our dissection, processing, preservation, and storage of tissues until they are shipped to a hospital for implantation by a physician. The vascular tissues currently preserved by us include saphenous veins, aortoiliac arteries, and femoral veins and arteries. Each of these tissues maintains a structure, which more closely resembles and simulates the performance of the patient’s own tissue compared to non-human tissue alternatives. Our vascular tissues are used to treat a variety of vascular reconstructions, such as peripheral bypass, hemodialysis access, and aortic infections, which have saved the lives and limbs of patients. We believe the human tissues we distribute offer specific advantages over synthetic and bioprosthesis alternatives, particularly for the treatment of infection in hemodialysis and peripheral bypass patients. Human tissue is not as susceptible to infection as synthetic alternatives, and more closely simulates the performance of the patient’s own tissue and vasculature compared to non-human tissue alternatives.

Two other domestic tissue processors, LifeNet and LeMaitre, offer preserved vascular tissue in competition with us. There are also a number of providers of synthetic and bioprosthetic alternatives to vascular tissues preserved by us and those alternatives are available primarily in medium and large diameters. Our vascular tissues compete with products from Gore, BD, LeMaitre, and Maquet.

We believe that we compete favorably with other entities that preserve human vascular tissues on the basis of surgeon preference, documented clinical data, technology, and customer service, particularly with respect to the capabilities of our field representatives.

Other Technologies

PhotoFix

PhotoFix is a bovine pericardial patch fixated using a dye-mediated photo-oxidation process without the use of glutaraldehyde. We hold FDA 510(k) clearance and a CE Mark for PhotoFix which is indicated for use in intracardiac repair, great vessel repair, suture line buttressing, pericardial closure, and vascular repair and reconstruction (for example: the carotid, iliac, femoral, and tibial blood vessels as well as arteriovenous access revisions).

Our PhotoFix product line competes with bioprosthetic and synthetic cardiac and vascular patch offerings from several other companies, including Baxter, LeMaitre, Aziyo Biologics, and Abbott Laboratories based on PhotoFix’s features and benefits, such as the photo-oxidation cross-linking process that does not use glutaraldehyde.

We sell PhotoFix in North America, EMEA, and APAC.

CardioGenesis Cardiac Laser Therapy for Angina Treatment

Angina consists of pressure, discomfort, or pain in the chest typically due to narrowed or blocked arteries that are also a cause of ischemic heart disease. Patients with severe angina are often treated with surgical procedures including angioplasty or coronary artery bypass or with medications such as aspirin, nitrates, beta-blockers, statins, or calcium channel blockers. Pain may be chronic or may become pronounced with exercise. Angina can also be treated with Transmyocardial Revascularization (“TMR”), a procedure that can be performed as an open surgical procedure or through a minimally invasive surgery either as a stand-alone procedure or concurrently with coronary artery bypass. During TMR, the surgeon uses a disposable handpiece to deliver precise bursts of laser energy directly to an area of heart muscle that is suffering from ischemic heart disease through a small incision or small ports with the patient under general anesthesia and without stopping the heart. TMR is typically performed with a CO₂ or Holmium: YAG laser. It takes approximately 6 to 10 pulses of the laser to traverse the myocardium and create channels of one millimeter in diameter. During a typical procedure, approximately 20 to 40 channels are made in the heart muscle. The external openings seal with little blood loss. Angina usually subsides with improved oxygen supply to the targeted areas of the damaged heart muscle. We currently sell the CardioGenesis cardiac laser therapy product line to perform TMR.

Our CardioGenesis cardiac laser therapy product line consists of Holmium: YAG laser consoles, related service and maintenance, and single-use, fiber-optic handpieces, which are used in TMR to treat patients with severe angina resulting from diffuse coronary artery disease. Patients undergoing TMR treatment with CardioGenesis products have been shown to have angina reduction, longer event-free survival, reduction in cardiac related hospitalizations, and increased exercise tolerance. Our SolarGen 2100s Console (“console”) uses the solid-state technology of the Holmium: YAG laser system to provide a stable and reliable energy platform that is designed to deliver precise energy output. The console has an advanced electronic and cooling system technology, which allows for a smaller and lighter system, while providing 115V power capability. We also provide service plan options to ensure that the console is operating within the critical factory specifications. We sell the SoloGrip^® III disposable handpieces (“handpieces”), which consist of multiple, fine fiber-optic strands in a one-millimeter diameter bundle and are designed to work with the console. The handpiece has an ergonomic design and is pre-calibrated in the factory to provide easy and convenient access for treating all regions of the left ventricle. See Part 1, Item I, “Business—Suppliers, Sources, and Availability of Raw Materials and Tissues,” for a discussion of the limitations around our supply of handpieces and consoles.

The CardioGenesis cardiac laser therapy product line is FDA approved for treating patients with severe angina that are not responsive to conventional therapy. We began selling the CardioGenesis cardiac laser therapy product line, primarily in the US, in May 2011 when we completed the acquisition of Cardiogenesis Corporation.

Our CardioGenesis cardiac laser therapy competes with other methods for the treatment of coronary artery disease, including drug therapy, percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass surgery, and enhanced external counter pulsation. There is currently no directly competitive laser technology for the performance of TMR as Stryker discontinued the directly competitive CO₂ Heart Laser System. Currently, Laser Engineering Inc. services the Stryker laser system, but no more handpieces are being sold. Our CardioGenesis cardiac laser therapy product competes with other methods for the treatment of coronary artery disease on the basis of its ease of use, versatility, size of laser console, and improved access to the treatment area with a smaller fiber-optic system.

We did not have a supply of handpieces for cardiac laser therapy while we waited for the FDA to approve our supplier’s change in manufacturing location through our Premarket Approval (“PMA”)-supplement. In January 2021 we received PMA-S approval for this change in manufacturing site and we resumed limited sales of TMR handpieces in the fourth quarter of 2021.We sell handpieces and consoles primarily in the US.

PerClot

Hemostatic agents are frequently utilized as an adjunct to sutures and staples to control intraoperative bleeding. Hemostatic agents prevent excess blood loss and can help maintain good visibility of the operative site. These products may reduce operating room time and decrease the number of blood transfusions required in surgical procedures. Hemostatic agents are available in various forms including pads, sponges, liquids, and powders.

PerClot is an absorbable powdered hemostat, consisting of plant starch modified into ultra-hydrophilic, adhesive-forming hemostatic polymers. PerClot granules are biocompatible, absorbable polysaccharides containing no animal or human components. PerClot granules have a molecular structure that rapidly absorbs water, forming a gelled adhesive matrix that provides a mechanical barrier to any further bleeding and results in the accumulation of platelets, red blood cells, and coagulation proteins (thrombin, fibrinogen, etc.) at the site of application. PerClot does not require additional operating room preparation or special storage conditions and is easy to apply. PerClot is readily dissolved by saline irrigation and is totally absorbed by the body within several days.

PerClot has a CE Mark and additional marketing approvals have been granted in a number of other countries throughout the world. PerClot is indicated for use in surgical procedures, including cardiac, vascular, orthopaedic, neurological, gynecological, ENT, and trauma surgery as an adjunct hemostat when control of bleeding from capillary, venular, or arteriolar vessels by pressure, ligature, and other conventional means is either ineffective or impractical.

PerClot competes with various topical absorbable hemostats including offerings from Pfizer, Baxter, Ethicon, Bard, and BioCer Entwicklungs. Other competitive products may include topical thrombin and fibrin sealants. A number of companies have surgical hemostat products under development. PerClot competes on the basis of safety, clinical efficacy, absorption rates, and ease of use.

In September 2010 we entered into a distribution agreement and a license and manufacturing agreement with Starch Medical, Inc. (“SMI”), which allowed us to distribute PerClot, a powdered hemostatic agent, worldwide, except a few countries. In July 2021 we entered into an asset purchase agreement and other ancillary agreements related to the sale of PerClot to a subsidiary of Baxter and an agreement to terminate all of our material agreements with SMI related to PerClot (collectively the “Baxter Transaction”). Under the terms of the Baxter Transaction, we will continue to provide to Baxter certain transition and manufacturing and supply services relating to the sale of SMI PerClot outside of the US and manufacture and supply of PerClot to Baxter post FDA PMA approval.

In January 2019 we completed enrolling patients in a clinical trial for the purpose of obtaining FDA PMA approval. In conjunction with Baxter, we submitted the PMA to the FDA in the third quarter of 2021, as discussed further in “Research and Development and Clinical Research” below.

Marketing and Distribution

In the US and Canada, we market our products and preservation services primarily to physicians and sell our products through our approximately 50-person direct sales team to hospitals and other healthcare facilities. We also have a team of regional managers, a national accounts manager, and sales and marketing management. Through our field representatives and our physician relations and education department, we conduct field training for surgeons regarding the surgical applications of our products and tissues.

In EMEA, we market our products through our European headquarters, based in Hechingen, Germany, as well as through several other subsidiaries based throughout Europe. We employ approximately 90 direct field service representatives and distributor managers in the EMEA region in Germany, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, and Ireland. We provide customer service, logistics, marketing, and clinical support to cardiac, vascular, thoracic, and general surgeons throughout the EMEA region.

In APAC and LATAM, we commercialize our products through our independent distributors and our subsidiaries through approximately 30 sales and clinical support specialists.

Our physician relations and education staff, clinical research staff, and field representatives assist physicians by providing educational materials, seminars, and clinics on methods for using our products and implanting tissue preserved by us, including virtual and remote programs in 2021. We sponsor programs, and work with other companies such as Endospan to sponsor programs, where surgeons train other surgeons in best-practice techniques. In addition, we host several workshops throughout the year that provide didactic and hands-on training to surgeons. We also produce educational videos for physicians and coordinate peer-to-peer training at various medical institutions. We believe that these activities enhance the medical community’s understanding of the clinical benefits of the products and tissues offered by us and help to differentiate us from other medical device companies and tissue processors.

Our human tissues are obtained in the US through organ and tissue procurement organizations (“OPOs”) and tissue banks. To assist OPOs and tissue banks, we provide educational materials and training on procurement, dissection, packaging, and shipping techniques. We produce educational videos and coordinate laboratory sessions for OPO and tissue bank personnel to improve their recovery techniques and increase the yield of usable tissue. We also maintain staff 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, for OPO and tissue bank support.

Suppliers, Sources, and Availability of Raw Materials and Tissues

We obtain a number of our raw materials and supplies from a global supply base. The materials and supplies used in our product manufacturing and tissue processing are subject to regulatory requirements and oversight. If materials or supplies used in our processes fail to meet these requirements or are subject to regulatory enforcement action, they may have to be scrapped, or our products or tissues could be rejected during or after processing, recalled, or rejected by customers. In these cases, we may have to immediately scrap raw or in process materials or expense the costs of manufacturing or preservation.

In addition, if these materials or supplies, or changes to them, do not receive regulatory approval or are recalled, if the related suppliers and/or their facilities are shut down temporarily or permanently, for any reason, or if the related suppliers are otherwise unable or unwilling to supply us, we may not have sufficient materials or supplies to manufacture our products or process tissues. In addition, we rely on contract manufacturers to manufacture some of our products or to provide additional manufacturing capacity for some products. If these contract manufacturers fail to meet our quality standards or other requirements or if they are unable or unwilling to supply the products, we may not be able to meet demand for these products. Our ability to fully recover all possible losses from these suppliers and contract manufacturers may have practical limitations imposed by factors like industry standard contractual terms or the financial resources of the adverse party.

Some of the materials, supplies, and services used in our product manufacturing and tissue processing, as well as some of our products, are sourced from single- or sole-source suppliers. As a result, our ability to negotiate favorable terms with those suppliers may be limited, and if those suppliers experience operational, financial, quality, or regulatory difficulties, or if those suppliers refuse to supply us or they and/or their facilities cease operations temporarily or permanently, we could be forced to cease product manufacturing or tissue processing until the suppliers resume operations, until alternative suppliers can be identified and qualified, or permanently if the suppliers do not resume operations and no alternative suppliers could be identified and qualified. We could also be forced to purchase alternative materials, supplies, or services with unfavorable terms due to diminished bargaining power. Ongoing sustaining efforts are in process to find alternative suppliers for single- or sole-source raw materials, supplies, and services wherever feasible. The process of qualifying alternative suppliers and manufacturers could result in additional costs or lengthy delays or may not be possible.

Finally, the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic has continued to impact the global supply chain; the pandemic’s impact on workforces, global mobility, material availability, demand, shipping, reorder time and reliability has reportedly continued or worsened in many cases. Any of these adverse outcomes could have a material, adverse effect on our revenues or profitability.

Additional attention has been applied to managing this increased risk and will continue into the future. See also Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors – Operational Risks” for our disclosures of risks related to suppliers, sources, and availability of raw materials and tissues.

Operations, Manufacturing, and Tissue Preservation

We conduct all of our own manufacturing operations at three facilities: Austin, Texas for On-X products, Hechingen, Germany for JOTEC Products, and Kennesaw, Georgia for all other products and services. The NEXUS product is solely manufactured by Endospan in Herzelia, Israel, and the AMDS product is solely manufactured by a contract manufacturer in Charlotte, North Carolina.

We maintain a facility, which contains our corporate headquarters, manufacturing, and laboratory space, and an additional off-site warehouse in Kennesaw, Georgia. We manufacture BioGlue and PhotoFix and process human tissues at this facility. Our headquarters also includes a CardioGenesis cardiac laser therapy console maintenance and evaluation laboratory space.

We maintain a facility of combined manufacturing and office space in Atlanta, Georgia which we sublet to a third-party beginning in 2018.

Our On-X facility consists of combined manufacturing, warehouse, and office space in Austin, Texas, where our On-X products, including On-X heart valves and AAPs, are manufactured.

Our JOTEC facility consists of combined manufacturing, warehousing, and office space in Hechingen, Germany and is our EMEA headquarters.

We also maintain sales offices, some of which have distribution operations in Brazil, the UK, Italy, Poland, Singapore, Spain, and Switzerland. See also Part I, Item 2, “Properties.”

In all of our facilities, we are subject to regulatory standards for good manufacturing practices, including current Quality System Regulations, which are the FDA regulatory requirements for medical device manufacturers, and current Good Tissue Practices (“cGTPs”), which are the FDA regulatory requirements for the processing of human tissue. We also operate according to International Organization for Standardization (“ISO”) 13485 Quality System Requirements, an internationally recognized voluntary system of quality management for companies that design, develop, manufacture, distribute, and service medical devices. We maintain a Certification of Approval to ISO 13485.

The Medical Device Directive (“MDD”) is the governing document for the European Economic Area (“EEA”) that details requirements for safety and risk of devices.  The Medical Device Regulation (“MDR”) replaced MDD on May 26, 2021 and imposes more stringent requirements on manufacturers and European Notified Bodies, who have already begun the transition to these new requirements. See Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors—Industry Risks—Our products and tissues are highly regulated and subject to significant quality and regulatory risks,” for a discussion of risks related to the transition to MDR and “Government Regulation – International Approval Requirements” for additional discussion about the MDR transition.

We employ a comprehensive quality assurance program in our product manufacturing and tissue preservation activities. Materials, solutions, and components utilized in our manufacturing and tissue processing are received and inspected by trained quality control personnel according to written specifications and standard operating procedures. Those items found to comply with our standards are utilized in our operations. Materials, components, subassemblies, and tissues are documented throughout manufacturing or processing to assure traceability.

We evaluate and inspect both our manufactured and distributed products to ensure conformity to product specifications. Processes are validated to review whether products manufactured meet our specifications. Each process is documented along with inspection results, including final finished product inspection and acceptance. Records are maintained as to the consignees of products to track product performance and to facilitate product removals or corrections, if necessary.

We maintain controls over our tissue processing to ensure conformity with our procedures. OPOs and tissue banks must follow our procedures related to tissue recovery practices and are subject to periodic audits to confirm compliance. Samples are taken from donated tissue for microbiological testing, and tissue must be shown to be free of certain detectable microbial contaminants before being released for distribution. Tissue processing records and donor information are reviewed to identify characteristics that would disqualify the tissue for processing or implantation. Once tissue is released for distribution, it is moved from quarantine to an implantable status. Tissue is stored by us until it is shipped to a hospital, where the tissue is thawed and implanted immediately or held in a liquid nitrogen freezer pending implantation.

Backlog

As of December 31, 2021, we did not have a firm backlog of orders related to our medical devices. The limited supply of certain types or sizes of preserved tissue can result in a backlog of orders for these tissues. The amount of backlog fluctuates based on the tissues available for shipment and the surgical needs of specific cases. Our backlog of human tissue consists mostly of pediatric tissues that have limited availability. Our backlog is generally not considered firm and must be confirmed with the customer before shipment. Certain JOTEC Products are specifically designed to meet specifications of a particular patient which can result in a limited backlog of these products. We did not have a supply of handpieces for cardiac laser therapy until the fourth quarter of 2021. We resumed limited sales of handpieces in the fourth quarter of 2021 following the FDA approval of our supplier’s change in manufacturing location through our PMA-supplement.

Government Regulation

Medical devices and human tissues are subject to a number of regulations from various government bodies including US federal, state, and local governments, as well as various international governments and regulatory bodies. Government regulations are continually evolving, and requirements may change with or without notice. Changes in government regulations or changes in the enforcement of existing government regulations could have a material, adverse impact on us. See also Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” for a discussion of risks related to government regulations.

US Federal Regulation of Medical Devices

The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) provides that, unless exempted by regulation, medical devices may not be distributed in the US unless they have been approved or cleared by the FDA. Medical devices may receive clearance through either a 510(k) process or an approval through an investigational device exemption (“IDE”) and PMA process.

Under a Section 510(k) process, a medical device manufacturer provides premarket notification that it intends to begin commercializing a product and shows that the product is substantially equivalent to another legally marketed predicate product. To be found substantially equivalent to a predicate device, the device must be for the same intended use and have either the same technological characteristics or different technological characteristics that do not raise new questions of safety or effectiveness. In some cases, the submission must include data from clinical studies in order to demonstrate substantial equivalency to a predicate device. Commercialization may commence when the FDA issues a clearance letter finding such substantial equivalence.

FDA regulations require approval through the IDE/PMA process for all Class III medical devices and for medical devices not deemed substantially equivalent to a predicate device. An IDE authorizes distribution of devices that lack PMA or 510(k) clearance for clinical evaluation purposes. After a product is subjected to clinical testing under an IDE, we may file a PMA application. Once a PMA application has been submitted, the FDA’s review may be lengthy and may include requests for additional data, which may require us to undertake additional human clinical studies. Commercialization of the device may begin when the FDA approves the PMA.

The FDCA requires all medical device manufacturers and distributors to register with the FDA annually and to provide the FDA with a list of those medical devices they distribute commercially. The FDCA also requires manufacturers of medical devices to comply with labeling requirements and to manufacture devices in accordance with Quality System Regulations, which require that companies manufacture their products and maintain their documents in compliance with good manufacturing practices, including: design, document production, process, labeling, and packaging controls, process validation, and other applicable quality control activities. The FDA’s medical device reporting regulation requires that a device manufacturer provide information to the FDA on death or serious injuries alleged to have been associated with the use of its products, as well as product malfunctions that would likely cause or contribute to death or serious injury if the malfunction were to recur. The FDA further requires that certain medical devices that may not be sold in the US follow certain procedures before they are exported. The FDA periodically inspects our facilities to review our compliance with these and other regulations and has authority to seize non-complying medical devices, enjoin and/or impose civil penalties on manufacturers and distributors marketing non-complying medical devices, criminally prosecute violators, and order recalls in certain instances.

The following products are, or we believe would be, upon approval, classified as Class III medical devices: BioGlue, On-X heart valves, On-X AAP, PerClot, CardioGenesis cardiac laser therapy, E-vita Open Plus, E-Vita Open Neo, E-vita Thoracic 3G, E-tegra, E-liac, E-nya, E-nside, NEXUS, and AMDS. CryoPatch SG is classified as a Class II medical device. We obtained 510(k) clearance from the FDA to commercialize the CryoValve SGPV; however, these tissues are not officially classified as Class II or III medical devices.

In December 2019 we learned that the FDA is preparing to issue a proposed rule for reclassification of more than minimally manipulated (“MMM”) allograft heart valves, which could include our CryoValve SGPV, from unclassified medical devices to Class III medical devices. Following a comment period and subsequent publication of a final rule, should the CryoValve SGPV be determined to be MMM, we expect to have approximately thirty months to submit a PMA application, after which the FDA will determine if, and for how long, we may continue to provide these tissues to customers during review of the PMA application. To date, the FDA has not issued a final rule. See also Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors—Industry Risks— Reclassification by the FDA of CryoValve SGPV may make it commercially infeasible to continue processing the CryoValve SGPV”. 

US Federal Regulation of Human Tissue

The FDA regulates human tissues pursuant to Section 361 of the Public Health Services Act, which in turn provides the regulatory framework for regulation of human cellular and tissue products. The FDA regulations focus on donor screening and testing to prevent the introduction, transmission, and spread of HIV-1 and -2, Hepatitis B and C, and other communicable diseases and disease agents. The regulations set minimum requirements to prevent the transmission of communicable diseases from human tissue used for transplantation. The regulations define human tissue as any tissue derived from a human body which is (i) intended for administration to another human for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of any condition or disease and (ii) recovered, preserved, stored, or distributed by methods not intended to change tissue function or characteristics. The FDA definition excludes, among other things, tissue that currently is regulated as a human drug, biological product, or medical device, and it also excludes kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas, or any other vascularized human organ. The current regulations applicable to human tissues include requirements for donor suitability, processing standards, establishment registration, product listing, testing, and screening for risks of communicable diseases. The FDA periodically audits our tissue preservation facilities for compliance with its requirements and has the authority to enjoin the distribution, force a recall, or require the destruction of tissues that do not meet its requirements.

NOTA Regulation

Our activities in preserving and transporting human hearts and certain other organs are also subject to federal regulation under the National Organ Transplant Act (“NOTA”), which makes it unlawful for any person to knowingly acquire, receive, or otherwise transfer any human organ for valuable consideration for use in human transplantation if the transfer affects interstate commerce. NOTA excludes from the definition of “valuable consideration” reasonable payments associated with the removal, transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, quality control, and storage of a human organ. The purpose of this statutory provision is to allow for compensation for legitimate services. We believe that, to the extent our activities are subject to NOTA, we meet this statutory provision relating to the reasonableness of our charges.

State Licensing Requirements

Some states have enacted statutes and regulations governing the manufacture, sale, marketing or distribution of medical devices, and we believe we are in compliance with such applicable state laws and regulations.

Some states have enacted statutes and regulations governing the preservation, transportation, and storage of human organs and tissues. The activities we engage in require us to be either licensed or registered as a clinical laboratory or tissue bank under California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Oregon law. We have such licenses or registrations, and we believe we are in compliance with applicable state laws and regulations relating to clinical laboratories and tissue banks that store, preserve, and distribute donated human tissue designed to be used for medical purposes in human beings.

Some of our employees have obtained other required state licenses. The regulatory bodies of states may perform inspections of our facilities as required to ensure compliance with state laws and regulations.

International Approval Requirements

Sales of medical devices and shipments of human tissues outside the US are subject to international regulatory requirements that vary widely from country to country. Approval of a product by comparable regulatory authorities of other countries must be obtained and compliance with applicable regulations for tissues must be met prior to commercial distribution of the products or human tissues in those countries. The time required to obtain these approvals may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA approval. Countries in which we distribute products and tissue may perform inspections of our facilities to ensure compliance with local country regulations.

The EEA recognizes a single medical device approval (the CE Mark) which allows for distribution of an approved product throughout the EEA without additional general applications in each country. Individual EEA members, however, reserve the right to require additional labeling or information to address particular patient safety issues prior to allowing marketing. Third-parties called “Notified Bodies” award the CE Mark. These Notified Bodies are approved and subject to review by the “Competent Authorities” of their respective countries. Our Notified Bodies perform periodic on-site inspections to independently review our compliance with systems and regulatory requirements. A number of countries outside of the EEA accept the CE Mark in lieu of marketing submissions as an addendum to that country’s application process. We have CE Marks for On-X heart valves, On-X AAP, On-X Chord-X sutures, E-vita Open Plus, E-vita Open Neo, E-vita Thoracic 3G, E-tegra, E-liac, E-nya, E-nside, AMDS, and other devices. In addition, E-ventus and NEXUS, which we distribute, have CE Marks.

We work with a number of organizations officially designated as Notified Bodies by European Union Member States to perform assessments of compliance to the MDD and MDR for our various product lines. These organizations include LNE/G-Med (“G-Med”), Deutscher Kraftfahrzeug-Überwachungs-Verein (“DEKRA”), the British Standards Institute (“BSI”), and DQS Holding GmbH (“DQS”). These organizations as well as Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Limited (“LRQA”) also perform assessments and issue certifications affirming compliance to quality system standard ISO 13485:2016. In addition, we work with auditing organizations BSI and DEKRA to perform assessments affirming compliance to the Medical Device Single Audit Program (“MDSAP”), which certifies conformance to the regulations of five key jurisdictions: the US, Japan, Australia, Canada, and Brazil. 

As a result of the UK’s exit from the European Union, or “Brexit,” the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”) has announced that CE Marking will continue to be recognized in the UK and certificates issued by EU-recognized Notified bodies will continue to be valid in the UK market until June 30, 2023. Going forward, all devices marketed in the UK will require UK Conformity Assessed (“UKCA”) Marks certified by a UK Approved Body (the re-designation of the UK Notified Body).

On June 13, 2019 LRQA informed us that it would no longer provide Notified Body services for medical devices effective September 2019.  The governing German competent authority, the Regierungspraesidium-Tubingen, granted us an extended grace period until December 31, 2021 to transfer LRQA-issued certifications for BioGlue and PhotoFix to a new Notified Body.  We are currently in the process of transferring BioGlue and PhotoFix to our new Notified Body, DEKRA.  While positive progress has been made, DEKRA has been unable to schedule and complete the last audit, a Phase 2 onsite audit, for our registration due to COVID-19 restrictions on travel, staffing shortages, and workload related to the transition to the MDR. We currently have sufficient inventory on the market in the EU to cover customer demand for a period of the transition. We also are currently requesting derogations from certain individual European countries to allow us to continue to commercialize BioGlue in those countries if our inventory is insufficient to cover demand and until we can complete the certification process with DEKRA. Failure to obtain such derogations may have a material adverse effect on our ability to supply demand in affected jurisdictions and have a material, adverse impact on our business.  See also Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors—Industry Risks—Our products and tissues are highly regulated and subject to significant quality and regulatory risks,” for a discussion of the risks related to LRQA’s decision.

Environmental Matters

Our tissue preservation activities generate some biomedical wastes, consisting primarily of human and animal pathological and biological wastes, including human and animal tissue and body fluids removed during laboratory procedures. The biomedical wastes generated by us are placed in appropriately constructed and labeled containers and are segregated from other wastes generated by us. We contract with third-parties for transport, treatment, and disposal of biomedical waste. Some of our products, including our On-X products, are sterilized using ethylene oxide (“EtO”). Although we have a small-scale EtO facility in Austin, Texas, we rely primarily on large-scale EtO facilities to sterilize our products. In addition, some of our suppliers use, or rely upon third parties to use, EtO to sterilize some of our product components. Concerns about the release of EtO into the environment at unsafe levels have led to various regulatory enforcement activities against EtO facilities, including closures and temporary closures, as well as proposals increasing regulations related to EtO. Although we believe we are in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, regarding the disposal of our waste resulting from tissue preservation activities, as well as in our other production and sterilization activities, the failure by us, or the companies with which we contract, to comply fully with any such regulations could result in an imposition of penalties, fines, or sanctions, which could materially, adversely affect our business. See also, Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors—Legal, Quality, and Regulatory Risks—Some of our products and technologies are subject to significant intellectual property risks and uncertainty,” for additional discussion of risks related to our use of EtO sterilization. We do not currently anticipate compliance with these laws and regulations relating to our waste disposal and sterilization activities will require any material capital expenditures.

Research and Development and Clinical Research

We use our technical and scientific expertise to identify market opportunities for new products or services, or to expand the use of our current products and services, through expanded indications or product or tissue enhancements. Our research and development strategy is to allocate most of our available resources among our core market areas based on the potential market size, estimated development time and cost, and the expected efficacy for any potential product or service offering. To the extent we identify new non-core products or additional non-core applications for our core products, we may attempt to license these products to corporate partners for further development or seek funding from outside sources to continue commercial development. We may also attempt to acquire or license additional strategically complementary products or technologies from third-parties to supplement our product lines.

Research on these and other projects is conducted in our research and development laboratory or at universities or clinics where we sponsor research projects. We also conduct preclinical and clinical studies at universities, medical centers, hospitals, and other third-party locations under contract with us. Research is inherently risky, and any potential products or tissues under development ultimately may not be deemed safe or effective or worth commercializing for other reasons and, therefore, may not generate a return on investment for us. Our clinical research department also collects and maintains clinical data on the use and effectiveness of our products and services. We use this data to gain regulatory approvals to market the products and services, to inform third-parties on the benefits of our products and services, and to help direct our continuing improvement efforts.

In 2021, 2020, and 2019 we spent approximately $35.5 million, $24.2 million, and $23.0 million, respectively, on research and development activities on new and existing products. These amounts accounted for approximately 12%, 10%, and 8% of our revenues for each of 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively.

We are in the process of developing or investigating several new products and technologies, as well as changes and enhancements to our existing products and services. Our strategies for driving growth include new product approvals or indications, global expansion, and business development. These activities will likely require additional research, new clinical studies, and/or compilation of clinical data.

We are currently seeking regulatory approval for BioGlue in China. Enrollment was completed in the third quarter of 2018 and the submission for market approval was filed in March 2019 with Chinese regulatory authorities who have made additional requests, and expressed several concerns, related to the application. If we cannot satisfy the regulator’s requests and concerns and obtain approval in April 2022, the pending application will expire and no longer be eligible for allowance, requiring the Company to restart or decide to abandon the approval process.

We are currently conducting a clinical trial to assess reduced levels of required anticoagulation or warfarin for the On-X mitral heart valve. Trial results were submitted for regulatory review in 2021 with anticipated FDA and CE Mark approvals in 2022.

At the FDA’s request, we are conducting a post-approval study to collect long-term clinical data for the On-X aortic heart valve managed with reduced warfarin therapy. This study is ongoing and data collection is expected to continue in 2022.

The PROACT Xa clinical trial is in its enrollment phase to determine if patients with an On-X aortic heart valve can be maintained safely and effectively on apixaban rather than on warfarin. The trial has enrolled more than half of the patients and we anticipate enrollment to be complete in 2022.

We completed our pivotal clinical trial to gain approval to commercialize PerClot for surgical indications in the US. Enrollment was completed in January 2019 and, in conjunction with Baxter, we submitted the PMA to the FDA during the third quarter of 2021. See also Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors—Operational Risks—Our investment in PerClot is subject to significant risks, including our ability to fully realize our investment by obtaining FDA approval and to successfully commercialize PerClot in the US either directly or indirectly.”

The FDA granted Breakthrough Device Designation in the third quarter of 2019 for the AMDS hybrid prosthesis. The Breakthrough Device Designation program is designed to provide timely access to medical devices that potentially provide a more effective treatment for life-threatening conditions by prioritizing review of its regulatory submissions, thereby expediting the device development process. We will be conducting a pivotal clinical trial to gain approval to commercialize the AMDS hybrid prosthesis in the US for treatment of acute DeBakey type I aortic dissections. We received IDE approval in the fourth quarter of 2021 and anticipate study initiation and first patient enrollment in the first quarter of 2022.

The FDA granted Breakthrough Device Designation in the second quarter of 2020 for E-vita OPEN NEO, our next-generation hybrid stent graft system used in the treatment of patients with either an aneurysm or dissection in the aortic arch and in the descending thoracic aorta. The FDA granted Breakthrough Device Designation in the third quarter of 2019 for the E-nside and E-xtra Design Multibranch TAAA devices.

Patents, Licenses, and Other Proprietary Rights

We rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, confidentiality agreements, and security procedures to protect our proprietary products, preservation technology, trade secrets, and know-how. We believe that our patents, trade secrets, trademarks, and technology licensing rights provide us with important competitive advantages. We currently own rights to numerous US and foreign patents and pending patent applications relating to our technology for various product lines. There can be no assurance that any pending applications will ultimately be issued as patents. We have also obtained rights through license and distribution agreements for additional products and technologies, including NEXUS. In the aggregate, these intellectual property assets and licenses are of material importance to our businesses; however, with the exception of BioGlue as discussed below, we believe that no single intellectual property asset or license is material in relation to any segment of our business or to our business as a whole.

The main patent for BioGlue expired in mid-2012 in the US and expired in mid-2013 in the majority of the rest of the world. Although the patents for BioGlue have expired, this technology is still protected by trade secrets and manufacturing know-how, as well as the time and expense to obtain regulatory approvals.

We have confidentiality agreements with our employees, our consultants, and our third-party vendors to maintain the confidentiality of trade secrets and proprietary information. There can be no assurance that the obligations of our employees, consultants, and third-parties, with whom we have entered into confidentiality agreements, will effectively prevent disclosure of our confidential information or provide meaningful protection for our confidential information if there is unauthorized use or disclosure, or that our trade secrets or proprietary information will not be independently developed by our competitors.

See Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors—Legal, Quality, and Regulatory Risks—Some of our products and technologies are subject to significant intellectual property risks and uncertainty,” for a discussion of risks related to our patents, licenses, and other proprietary rights.

Seasonality

See Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Seasonality,” regarding seasonality of our products and services.

Human Capital

Overview

As of December 31, 2021 we had approximately 1,300 employees. Most of our employees are located in Kennesaw, Georgia; Austin, Texas; and Hechingen, Germany. None of our employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, and we have never experienced a work stoppage or interruption due to labor disputes. Our employees located in Hechingen, Germany have a Works Council. We believe our relations with our employees worldwide and with the Works Council in Germany are good.

Employee Talent and Retention

Our business and future operating results depend in significant part upon the continued contributions of our key personnel, including qualified personnel with medical device and tissue processing experience, and senior management with experience in the medical device or tissue processing space, many of whom would be difficult to replace. Our business and future operating results, including production at our manufacturing and tissue processing facilities, also depend in significant part on our ability to attract and retain qualified management, operations, processing, marketing, sales, and support personnel for our operations.

Our main facilities are in Kennesaw, Georgia; Austin, Texas; and Hechingen, Germany, where the local supply of qualified personnel in the medical device and tissue processing industries is limited and competition for such personnel is intense and has become increasingly more so over the past year. We have programs and processes in place to help ensure that our compensation, benefits programs, and work environment attract and retain such personnel and we strive to enhance those programs and processes to respond to the increasingly competitive market for talent. We also strive to offer competitive equitable pay, comprehensive benefits, and services that retain, and meet, the varying needs of our employees. The principal purposes of our equity and cash incentive plans and non-officer incentive plans are to attract, retain, motivate, and reward our employees.

Culture

Fostering and maintaining a strong and collaborative culture is a key strategic focus, as evidenced by our core values of collaboration, results driven, and customer focus. We also have ethics and compliance policies that instill a commitment to ethical behavior and legal compliance across the Company. Employees are encouraged to approach their supervisors if they believe violations of policies have occurred. Employees are also able to confidentially and anonymously report any such violations through an online form or telephone hotline hosted by a third-party provider.

Diversity and Inclusion

We believe that a culture of inclusion and diversity enables us to create, develop, and fully leverage the strengths of our workforce to achieve our business objectives. Approximately 58% of our global employees are female, and approximately 35% of our US based employees are from an underrepresented ethnic community.

We believe that bringing together different perspectives and experiences is fundamental to innovation. In early 2022 we appointed a Global Diversity Officer to manage and oversee the Company’s diversity and inclusion efforts and goals.

Training and Development

We provide internal training and development programs to employees globally. Such programs include leadership development, office safety, ethics, and various skill-based training programs.

Health and Safety

Protecting the safety, health, and well-being of our employees around the world is a key priority. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have remained focused on the health and safety of our employees by implementing and enforcing safety protocols. We provided employees with protective equipment, required the wearing of masks, increased cleaning procedures, provided cleaning supplies, implemented remote work where possible, enhanced our IT systems to facilitate remote work, and improved our cybersecurity protocols.

Employee Engagement

We solicit employee feedback to assess employee satisfaction and engagement and to identify opportunities for development. Employee feedback is also gathered through onboarding surveys, the employee review process, spot surveys, and exit surveys.

See also Part II, Item 7, “Effects of COVID-19” for discussion about COVID-19’s impact on our employees, and Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors—Operational Risks—We are dependent on our specialized workforce” for discussion about Human Capital risks.

Risk Factors

Our business is subject to a number of risks. See Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” below for a discussion of these and other risk factors.

Available Information

It is our policy to make all our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, available free of charge on our website, www.Artivion.com, on the day of filing. All such filings made on or after November 15, 2002 have been made available on this website.

We also make available on the Corporate Governance portion of our website: (i) our Code of Conduct; (ii) our Corporate Governance Guidelines; (iii) the charter of each active committee of our Board of Directors; and (iv) our Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Officers. We also intend to disclose any amendments to our Codes of Conduct, or waivers of our Codes of Conduct on behalf of our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, or Chief Accounting Officer, on the Corporate Governance portion of our website. All of these corporate governance materials are also available free of charge in print to shareholders who request them in writing to: Jean F. Holloway, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, and Corporate Secretary, 1655 Roberts Blvd NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144.

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Risks Relating to Our Business

Our business involves a variety of risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, including, among others, the risks discussed below. These risks should be carefully considered together with the other information provided in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other filings with the SEC. Our failure to adequately anticipate or address these risks and uncertainties may have a material, adverse impact on our business, reputation, revenues, financial condition, profitability, and cash flows. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known or knowable to us, or that we currently believe to be immaterial, may also adversely affect our business.

Business and Economic Risks

COVID-19, and similar outbreaks, could have a material, adverse impact on us.

Since early 2020, businesses, communities, and governments worldwide have taken, and continue to take, a wide range of actions to mitigate the spread and impact of COVID-19, leading to an unprecedented impact on the global economy. Hospitals and other healthcare providers have adopted differing approaches to address the surge and resurgence of COVID-19 cases, including their impact on healthcare workers, such as postponing elective and non-emergent procedures, restricting access to their facilities, cancelling elective procedures, or re-allocating scarce resources to some critically ill patients. Although some areas have seen a decline in COVID-19 cases, the potential for additional impact from new variants of COVID-19 and longer than anticipated timelines for widespread therapeutic and vaccine availability and acceptance remain. These conditions have and could continue to impact our activities, including:

Our product sales. Certain regions experienced an impact on revenues in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to COVID-19’s impact on procedure volumes, including an impact on procedure volumes due in part to COVID-19-related healthcare staffing shortages, we have begun to observe additional downstream effects on our business, including an increase in delays or difficulty in collecting certain outstanding receivables, particularly with certain governmental payors in regions heavily impacted by COVID-19. The extent to which our financial performance will be impacted by the pandemic in 2022 and beyond will depend largely on future developments, including changes in hospital utilization rates and staffing, the prevalence and severity of new variants, global availability and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines and their effectiveness against variants, and the prevalence of public and private vaccine mandates. COVID-19’s continued or increased impact on our financial performance may also increase the risks we face with respect to managing our indebtedness.

Our business operations. In 2020 we took several steps to address the impact of COVID-19 on our employees, cash consumption, and operations, including reducing expenditures and delaying investments. The reductions and delays we adopted could adversely impact our business operations or delay our recovery from the effects of the pandemic. Although we have begun to scale back many of these steps in most geographies, the COVID-19 virus and its variants remain highly contagious and our efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 and its variants among our employees, including our key personnel, and to protect our supply chain, may not succeed. COVID-19 also continues to impact our business partners, including the various regulators and notified bodies that we rely on, which increases the regulatory risks we face, and specifically, the risks we face with respect to timely review and approval of new and renewal certifications, clearances, and approvals for our products.

Our manufacturing operations. The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to impact the global supply chain; the pandemic’s impact on workforces, global mobility, material availability, demand, and shipping and reorder time and reliability has reportedly continued or worsened in many cases. Although we have yet to experience any material effects of this impact on our supply chain or operations, we face an increasing risk that upstream disruptions may occur. Risks relating to the lingering effects of global supply chain disruptions may even continue after COVID-19’s risk as a global pandemic has subsided.

Our workforce. As some global economies have begun to emerge from the COVID-19 downturn, the expiration of COVID-related hiring freezes, increased opportunities for remote work, the Great Resignation and increasing compensation pressure have resulted in a war for talent and an unprecedent number of career changes. The resulting worker shortages at all levels have impacted supply chains and distribution channels and employers’ ability to adequately staff their operations. This has impacted not only our own ability to attract and retain employees, but also the ability of our customers who face increasing staffing pressures throughout their healthcare organizations.

Our research and development projects. In 2020 and parts of 2021 we reduced spending on research and development projects, including clinical research projects. These reductions could adversely impact future revenue, and additional reductions in spending could be implemented, further impacting future revenue. In addition, our ability to conduct our ongoing research and development projects in markets that are affected by COVID-19 has been, and could continue to be, adversely impacted. Enrollment and timelines for our clinical trials have been, and might continue to be, impacted as healthcare providers reprioritize resources, address staffing shortages, and limit access to healthcare facilities or as patients decline to participate or are hesitant to voluntarily visit healthcare facilities. In addition, staffing shortages and COVID-19-related impacts on government and regulatory agencies have slowed and might continue to slow timelines for regulatory actions, including approvals.

If COVID-19 or its variants continue to spread, if efforts to contain COVID-19 or its variants continue or are unsuccessful, if we experience new outbreaks of COVID-19 in areas previously successful in containing its spread, if staffing shortages impact us, governmental or regulatory bodies, or our customers, if vaccine mandates become more prevalent, or if COVID-19, its variants, or disruptions to the global supply chain impact our supply chain or employee productivity, it could materially, adversely affect our revenues, financial condition, profitability, and cash flows. The nature and extent of these developments are highly uncertain and unpredictable and may vary greatly by region. These adverse developments or a prolonged period of uncertainty could adversely affect our financial performance.

We are subject to a variety of risks due to our global expansion.

Our international operations subject us to a number of risks, which may vary significantly from the risks we face in our US operations, including:

Greater difficulties and costs associated with staffing, establishing and maintaining internal controls, managing foreign operations and distributor relationships, and selling directly to customers;

Broader exposure to corruption and expanded compliance obligations, including under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the UK Bribery Law, local anti-corruption laws, Office of Foreign Asset Control administered sanction programs, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, and other emerging corruption and data privacy regulations;

Overlapping and potentially conflicting, or unexpected changes in, international legal and regulatory requirements or reimbursement policies and programs;

Longer and more expensive collection cycles in certain countries, particularly those in which our primary customers are government-funded hospitals;

Changes in currency exchange rates, particularly fluctuations in the Euro as compared to the US Dollar;

Potential adverse financial impact and negative erosion of our operating profit margin over time due to increasing inflationary pressures, particularly through our supply chain; our exposure may be increased through our limited ability to raise prices and through global expansion where business occurs with, or pricing is set directly by, government entities, or we are party to long term pricing agreements with governments or local distributors, impacting our ability to pass on rising costs;

Potential adverse tax consequences of overlapping tax structures; and

Potential adverse financial and regulatory consequences resulting from the exit of the UK from the European Union, or “Brexit.”

We operate in highly competitive market segments, face competition from large, well-established medical device companies and tissue service providers with greater resources and we may not be able to compete effectively.

The market for our products and services is competitive and affected by new product introductions and activities of other industry participants. We face intense competition in virtually all of our product lines. A significant percentage of market revenues from competitive products are generated by Baxter International, Inc.; Ethicon (a Johnson & Johnson Company); Medtronic, Inc.; Abbott Laboratories; Edwards Lifesciences Corp.; C.R. Bard, Inc., a subsidiary of Becton, Dickinson and Company; Integra Life Sciences Holdings; LifeNet; CORCYM (completed acquisition of the LivaNova heart valve business in June 2021); Anteris Technologies, Inc.; Aziyo Biologics; Cook Medical; Gore & Associates; Terumo Aortic Corp.; LeMaitre Vascular, Inc.; Maquet, Inc.; Pfizer, Inc.; and BioCer Entwicklungs-GmbH. Several of our competitors enjoy competitive advantages over us, including:

Greater financial and other resources for research and development, commercialization, acquisitions, and litigation and to weather the impacts of COVID-19 and increased workforce competition;

Greater name recognition as well as more recognizable trademarks for products similar to products that we sell; 

More established record of obtaining and maintaining regulatory product clearances or approvals;

More established relationships with healthcare providers and payors;

Lower cost of goods sold or preservation costs; and

Larger direct sales forces and more established distribution networks.

We are significantly dependent on our revenues from tissue preservation services and are subject to a variety of risks affecting them.

Tissue preservation services are a significant source of our revenues, and as such, we face risks if we are unable to:

Source sufficient quantities of some human tissue or address potential excess supply of others. We rely primarily upon the efforts of third-parties to educate the public and foster a willingness to donate tissue. Factors beyond our control such as supply, regulatory changes, negative publicity concerning methods of tissue recovery or disease transmission from donated tissue, or public opinion of the donor process as well as our own reputation in the industry can negatively impact the supply of tissue;

Compete effectively, as we may be unable to capitalize on our clinical advantages or our competitors may have advantages over us in terms of cost structure, pricing, back-office automation, marketing, and sourcing; or

Mitigate sufficiently the risk that tissue can become contaminated during processing; that processed tissue cannot be end-sterilized and hence carries an inherent risk of infection or disease transmission or that our quality controls can eliminate that risk.

As an example of this risk, in the fourth quarter of 2020 we became aware that a supplier shipped to us a lot of saline solution that we use in our tissue processing that contained some contamination. The contamination was identified by our routine quality controls. While we were able to mitigate the impact of this contamination through our own efforts and additional testing that was reviewed with the FDA, the contaminated solution impacted a small percentage of the tissue processed with this lot of solution, requiring us to write-off approximately $826,000 in contaminated tissues in the fourth quarter of 2020. The written off and temporarily quarantined tissue impacted our ability to fully meet demand for certain tissues and sizes in the fourth quarter of 2020, the first quarter of 2021, and to a lesser extent the second quarter of 2021. Our inability to meet some demand for tissue in the third quarter resulted in part from a shortage of trained staff capable of meeting the increased demand for releasing this quarantined tissue. See also, Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors—Operational Risks— We are dependent on our specialized workforce.”

In addition, US and foreign governmental authorities have adopted laws and regulations that restrict tissue preservation services. Any of these laws or regulations could change, including becoming more restrictive or our interpretation of them could be challenged by governmental authorities.

We are significantly dependent on our revenues from BioGlue and are subject to a variety of related risks.

BioGlue Surgical Adhesive (“BioGlue”) is a significant source of our revenues, and as such, any risk adversely affecting our BioGlue products or business would likely be material to our financial results. We face the following risks related to BioGlue:

Competing effectively with our major competitors, as they may have advantages over us in terms of cost structure, supply chain, pricing, sales force footprint, and brand recognition;

We may be unable to obtain approval to commercialize BioGlue in certain non US countries as fast as our competitors do of their products or at all. We also may not be able to capitalize on new BioGlue approvals, including for new indications, in non US countries;

BioGlue contains a bovine blood protein. Animal-based products are subject to increased scrutiny from the public and regulators, who may seek to impose additional regulations, regulatory hurdles or product bans in certain countries on such products; BioGlue is a mature product and other companies may use the inventions disclosed in expired BioGlue patents to develop and make competing products; and

BioGlue faces potential adverse regulatory consequences resulting from the exit of the UK from the European Union, or “Brexit.” See Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors—Industry Risks— Our products and tissues are highly regulated and subject to significant quality and regulatory risks.”

We are significantly dependent on our revenues from aortic stents and stent grafts and are subject to a variety of related risks.

Aortic stents and stent grafts are a significant source of our revenues, and as such, any risk adversely affecting aortic stents and stent grafts would likely be material to our financial results. We face the following aortic stents and stent grafts related risks based on our ability to:

Compete effectively with our major competitors, as they may have advantages over us in terms of cost structure, supply chain, pricing, sales force footprint, and brand recognition;

Develop innovative, high quality, and in-demand aortic repair products;

Respond adequately to enhanced regulatory requirements and enforcement activities, and particularly, our ability to obtain regulatory approvals and renewals globally;

Meet demand for aortic stents and stent grafts as we seek to expand our business globally; and

Maintain a productive working relationship with our Works Council in Germany.

We are significantly dependent on our revenues from On-X products and are subject to a variety of related risks.

On-X products are a significant source of our revenues, and as such, any risk adversely affecting our On-X products or business would likely be material to our financial results. We face risks based on our ability to:

Compete effectively with some of our major competitors, as they may have advantages over us in terms of cost structure, supply chain, pricing, sales force footprint, and brand recognition;

Take market share in the mechanical heart valve market based on the FDA’s approved lower International Normalized Ratio (“INR”) indication or complete the associated FDA mandated post-approval studies;

Address clinical trial data or changes in technology that may reduce the demand for mechanical heart valves, such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or “TAVR” devices;

Manage risks associated with less favorable contract terms for On-X products on consignment at hospitals;

Respond adequately to enhanced international regulatory requirements or enforcement activities; and

Receive timely renewal certifications in certain markets.

Continued fluctuation of foreign currencies relative to the US Dollar could materially, adversely affect our business.

The majority of our foreign product revenues are denominated in Euros and, as such, are sensitive to changes in exchange rates. In addition, a portion of our dollar-denominated and euro-denominated product sales are made to customers in other countries who must convert local currencies into US Dollars or Euros in order to purchase these products. We also have balances, such as cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and accruals that are denominated in foreign currencies. These foreign currency transactions and balances are sensitive to changes in exchange rates. Fluctuations in exchange rates of Euros or other local currencies in relation to the US Dollar could materially reduce our future revenues as compared to the comparable prior periods. Should this occur, it could have a material, adverse impact on our revenues, financial condition, profitability, and cash flows.

Our charges resulting from acquisitions, restructurings, and integrations may materially, adversely affect the market value of our common stock.

We account for the completion of acquisitions using the purchase method of accounting. Our financial results could be adversely affected by a number of financial adjustments required by purchase accounting such as:

We may incur added amortization expense over the estimated useful lives of some acquired intangible assets;

We may incur additional depreciation expense as a result of recording purchased tangible assets;

We may be required to incur material charges relating to any impairment of goodwill and intangible assets;

Cost of sales may increase temporarily if acquired inventory is recorded at fair market value;

If acquisition consideration consists of earn-outs, our earnings may be affected by changes in estimates of future contingent consideration; or

Earnings may be affected by transaction and integration costs, which are expensed immediately.

As an example of this risk, in the fourth quarter of 2021, we fully impaired the value of the Endospan Option and fully wrote-down the value of the Endospan Loan, primarily driven by a decrease in forecasted operating results. This impairment, and other potential risks like those mentioned above, may adversely affect the market value of our common stock.

Operational Risks

We are heavily dependent on our suppliers and contract manufacturers to provide quality products.

The materials and supplies used in our product manufacturing and tissue processing are subject to regulatory requirements and oversight. If materials or supplies used in our processes fail to meet these requirements or are subject to regulatory enforcement action, they may have to be scrapped, or our products or tissues could be rejected during or after processing, recalled, or rejected by customers. In these cases, we may have to immediately scrap raw or in process materials or expense the costs of manufacturing or preservation.

As an example of this risk, in the fourth quarter of 2020 we became aware that a supplier shipped to us a lot of saline solution that we use in our tissue processing that contained some contamination. The contamination was identified by our routine quality controls. While we were able to mitigate the impact of this contamination through our own efforts and additional testing that was reviewed with the FDA, the contaminated solution impacted a small percentage of the tissue processed with this lot of solution, requiring us to write-off those contaminated tissues in the fourth quarter of 2020 and impacting our ability to fully meet demand for certain tissues and sizes in the fourth quarter of 2020, the first quarter of 2021, and to a lesser extent the second quarter of 2021.

In addition, if these materials or supplies or changes to them do not receive regulatory approval or are recalled, if the related suppliers and/or their facilities are shut down temporarily or permanently, for any reason, or if the related suppliers are otherwise unable or unwilling to supply us, we may not have sufficient materials or supplies to manufacture our products or process tissues. In addition, we rely on contract manufacturers to manufacture some of our products or to provide additional manufacturing capacity for some products. If these contract manufacturers fail to meet our quality standards or other requirements or if they are unable or unwilling to supply the products, we may not be able to meet demand for these products. Our ability to fully recover all possible losses from these suppliers and contract manufacturers may have practical limitations imposed by factors like industry standard contractual terms or the financial resources of the adverse party. As a further example of this risk, our supplier of TMR handpieces was informed in the fourth quarter of 2021 that the sole-source manufacturer of tubing used in the handpiece assembly had gone out of business, requiring us to work with our supplier to identify and qualify a new supplier before a disruption in handpiece availability occurs.

Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to impact the global supply chain; the pandemic’s impact on workforces, global mobility, material availability, demand, and shipping and reorder time and reliability has reportedly continued or worsened in many cases. Although we have yet to experience any material effects of this impact on our supply chain or operations, we face an increasing risk that upstream disruptions may occur. Risks relating to the lingering effects of global supply chain disruptions may even continue after COVID-19’s risk as a global pandemic has subsided.

We are dependent on single and sole-source suppliers and single facilities.

Some of the materials, supplies, and services used in our product manufacturing and tissue processing, as well as some of our products, are sourced from single- or sole-source suppliers. As a result, our ability to negotiate favorable terms with those suppliers may be limited, and if those suppliers experience operational, financial, quality, or regulatory difficulties, or if those suppliers and/or their facilities refuse to supply us or cease operations temporarily or permanently, or if those suppliers take unreasonable business positions, we could be forced to cease product manufacturing or tissue processing until the suppliers resume operations, until alternative suppliers could be identified and qualified, or permanently if the suppliers do not resume operations and no alternative suppliers could be identified and qualified. We could also be forced to purchase alternative materials, supplies, or services with unfavorable terms due to diminished bargaining power.

As an example of these risks, in 2019 we lost our supply of handpieces for cardiac laser therapy resulting from a manufacturing location change at our supplier that ultimately required a Premarket Approval (“PMA”) supplement and FDA approval before handpiece manufacturing and distribution could resume. Even though the FDA approved the PMA-S, our supplier has been unable to fully resume production due to factors outside of our control. Due to these and other supplier issues, we had virtually no supply of handpieces during the first three quarters of 2021. Although handpiece supply resumed on a limited basis during the last quarter of 2021, we remain dependent on a sole-source manufacturer for these handpieces.

By way of additional non-limiting examples, our BioGlue product has three main product components: bovine protein, a cross linker, and a molded plastic resin delivery device. The bovine protein and cross linker are obtained from a small number of qualified suppliers. The delivery devices are manufactured by a single supplier, using resin supplied by a single supplier. We purchase grafts for our On-X AAP from a single supplier and various other components for our On-X valves come from single source suppliers.

Our preservation services business and our ability to supply needed tissues is dependent upon donation of tissues from human donors by donor families. Donated human tissue is procured from deceased human donors by OPOs and tissue banks. We must rely on the OPOs and tissue banks that we work with to educate the public on the need for donation, to foster a willingness to donate tissue, to follow our donor screening and procurement procedures, and to send donated tissue to us. We have active relationships with 59 OPOs and tissue banks throughout the US. As with any vendor, we believe these relationships with our OPOs are critical in the preservation services industry and that the breadth of these existing relationships provides us with a significant advantage over potential new entrants to this market. We also use various raw materials, including medicines and solutions, in our tissue processing. Some of these raw materials are manufactured by single suppliers or by a small group of suppliers.

Our endovascular stent graft systems consist of two main product components: the stent graft and the delivery system. The stent graft is manufactured out of several different raw materials that are manufactured by JOTEC and various external suppliers, including single suppliers. The delivery systems are manufactured by JOTEC from several different raw materials with different processing techniques. Primary processes are the assembly of injection molded parts and machine drilled parts, suturing of stent grafts, processing of Nitinol, and weaving of textiles. Our conventional polyester grafts consist of two main product components: polyester fabric and collagen coating. The polyester fabric is manufactured by JOTEC out of a few different yarns that are supplied by an external supplier. The collagen suspension is manufactured by JOTEC out of a collagenous tissue that is supplied by a single supplier. Our conventional ePTFE grafts are manufactured by JOTEC out of various raw materials supplied by several suppliers. For some products the ePTFE grafts are heparin coated. For these products, the heparin suspension is manufactured by JOTEC out of a heparin solution that is also supplied by an external supplier.

We also conduct all of our own manufacturing operations at three facilities: Austin, Texas for On-X products, Hechingen, Germany for JOTEC Products, and Kennesaw, Georgia for all other products and services. The NEXUS product is solely manufactured by Endospan in Herzelia, Israel, and the AMDS product is solely manufactured by a supplier in Charlotte, North Carolina. If one of these facilities ceases operations temporarily or permanently, for any reason including a pandemic or climate change related event, our business could be substantially disrupted.

Although we work diligently to maintain adequate inventories of raw materials, components, supplies, subassemblies, and finished goods, there can be no assurance that we will be able to avoid all disruptions to our global supply chain, or disruptions to our sterilization or distribution networks. Any of these disruptions could have a material, adverse effect on our revenues, reputation, or profitability.

We are dependent on our specialized workforce.

Our business and future operating results depend in significant part upon the continued contributions of our specialized workforce, including key personnel, qualified personnel with medical device and tissue processing experience, and senior management with experience in the medical device or tissue processing space, some of whom would be difficult to replace. Our field-based workforce is increasingly being subject to public and private vaccine mandates, including mandates without exception, which may impact unvaccinated personnel’s ability to fulfill or stay in their roles. Our business and future operating results, including production at our manufacturing and tissue processing facilities, also depend in significant part on our ability to attract and retain qualified management, operations, processing, marketing, sales, and support personnel. Our primary facilities are in Kennesaw, Georgia; Austin, Texas; and Hechingen, Germany, where the supply of qualified medical device and tissue processing and other personnel is limited, competition for such personnel is significant, and we cannot ensure that we will be successful in attracting or retaining them. We face risks if we lose any key employees to other employers or due to severe illness, death, or retirement, if any of our key employees fail to perform adequately, or if we are unable to attract and retain skilled employees. This risk was exacerbated during 2021, and is expected to continue, as the competition for talent in the medical device industry and in the workforce generally has intensified substantially. As some global economies have begun to emerge from the COVID-19 downturn, the expiration of COVID-19 related hiring freezes, the Great Resignation, increased opportunities for remote work, and increasing compensation pressure have resulted in a war for talent and an unprecedent number of career changes. The resulting competition and worker shortages at all levels have impacted supply chains and distribution channels and our ability to attract and retain the specialized workforce necessary for our business and operations.

We continue to evaluate expansion through acquisitions of, or licenses with, investments in, and distribution arrangements with, other companies or technologies, which may carry significant risks.

One of our growth strategies is to pursue select acquisitions, licensing, or distribution rights with companies or technologies that complement our existing products, services, and infrastructure. In connection with one or more of these transactions, we may:

Issue additional equity securities that would dilute our stockholders’ ownership interest;

Use cash we may need in the future to operate our business;

Incur debt, including on terms that could be unfavorable to us or debt we might be unable to repay;

Structure the transaction resulting in unfavorable tax consequences, such as a stock purchase that does not permit a step-up in basis for the assets acquired;

Be unable to realize the anticipated benefits of the transaction; or 

Assume material unknown liabilities associated with the acquired business.

We may not realize all the anticipated benefits of our business development activities.

As part of our efforts to drive growth by pursuing select acquisition, license, and distribution opportunities that are aligned to our objectives and complement our existing products, services, and infrastructure or to divest non-core product lines, we have completed several transactions in recent years and may pursue similar additional transactions in the future. Examples of these activities include the following:

On December 1, 2017 we acquired JOTEC AG, a Swiss entity that we converted to JOTEC GmbH and subsequently merged with our Swiss acquisition entity, Jolly Buyer Acquisition GmbH and its subsidiaries;

On September 11, 2019 we entered into various agreements with Endospan, Ltd. (“Endospan”), an Israeli medical device manufacturer (the “Endospan Transaction”). The Endospan Transaction included an exclusive distribution agreement for the NEXUS stent graft system (“NEXUS”) in Europe; an agreement (“Endospan Loan”) for a secured loan from Artivion to Endospan; and a security purchase option agreement for Artivion to purchase all the then outstanding Endospan securities from Endospan’s existing securityholders upon FDA approval of NEXUS;

On September 2, 2020 we acquired 100% of the outstanding shares of Ascyrus Medical LLC (“Ascyrus”), the developer of the Ascyrus Medical Dissection Stent (“AMDS”);

On July 28, 2021 we entered into various agreements with Baxter International, Inc. (“Baxter”) and Starch Medical, Inc. (“SMI”) related to the sale of our PerClot assets to Baxter and the termination of our existing material agreements with SMI.

Our ability to realize the anticipated business opportunities, growth prospects, cost savings, synergies, and other benefits of these transactions depends on a number of factors including our ability to:

Leverage our global infrastructure to sell and cross-market the acquired products;

Drive adoption of NEXUS and AMDS in the European and other markets, including our ability to manage the substantial requirements for NEXUS procedures for product training, implant support, and proctoring;

Bring acquired products to the US market, including AMDS and the JOTEC Products;

Harness the JOTEC product pipeline and research and development capabilities;

Obtain regulatory approvals in relevant markets, including our ability to timely obtain FDA PMA for PerClot as contemplated under the terms of the Baxter Transaction, to obtain Conformité Européene Mark (“CE Mark”) product certification for pipeline products, and to obtain or maintain certification for pipeline and current products at all;

Execute on development and clinical trial timelines for acquired products;

Manage global inventories, including our ability to manage inventories for product lines with large numbers of product configurations and manage manufacturing and demand cycles to avoid excess inventory obsolescence due to shelf life expiration, particularly for processed tissues and aortic stent and stent graft products;

Carry, service, and manage significant debt and repayment obligations; and

Manage the unforeseen risks and uncertainties related to these transactions, including any related to intellectual property rights.

Additionally, our ability to realize the anticipated business opportunities, growth prospects, synergies, and other benefits of the Endospan Transaction depends on a number of additional factors including Endospan’s ability to: (a) comply with the Endospan Loan and other debt obligations, and avoid an event of default; (b) successfully commercialize NEXUS, raise capital and drive adoption in markets in and outside of Europe; (c) meet demand for NEXUS; (d) meet quality and regulatory requirements; (e) manage any intellectual property risks and uncertainties associated with NEXUS; (f) obtain FDA approval of NEXUS; and (g) develop NEXUS product improvements to meet competitive threats and physician demand. As an example of this risk, the forecasted operating results related to NEXUS decreased in the fourth quarter of 2021, resulting in an impairment in the value of the Endospan Option, and a full write-down the value of the Endospan Loan, reflecting decreased expectations with respect to the anticipated benefits of the Endospan Transaction.

Many of these factors are outside of our control and any one of them could result in increased costs, decreased revenues, and diversion of management’s time and energy. The benefits of these transactions may not be achieved within the anticipated time frame or at all. Any of these factors could negatively impact our earnings per share, decrease or delay the expected accretive effect of the transaction, and negatively impact the price of our common stock. In addition, if we fail to realize the anticipated benefits of a transaction, we could experience an interruption or loss of momentum in our existing business activities.

We may not realize all the anticipated benefits of our corporate rebranding and it may result in unanticipated disruptions to our on-going business.

In order to reflect our evolution to focus on providing innovative technologies to surgeons who treat patients with aortic disease, we changed our name to Artivion, Inc., effective January 18, 2022 (the “Corporate Rebrand”). The Corporate Rebrand also involved the adoption of a new ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange, “AORT.” We may face unanticipated disruptions to our business arising from the Corporate Rebrand, and it may expose us to additional risks, including:

Disruptions to our day-to-day business operations including disruptions to our ability to receive or our customers’ ability to make timely payments;

Disruptions to access to certain markets or segments due to delays or other issues with regulatory approvals or updates arising from the Corporate Rebrand;

Unanticipated delays or other impact on our pending regulatory applications or clinical trials arising from the Corporate Rebrand;

Confusion within the marketplace, particularly with multiple points of contact in our downstream product flow involving purchasing and accounts payable departments and end users;

Intellectual property risks associated with the adoption of a new corporate identity and trade dress; and

Loss of goodwill associated with our legacy brands, including our CryoLife and JOTEC brands that will become less prominent over time.

The Corporate Rebrand involved significant financial and resource investment and will continue to do so as we complete our global brand transitions over the coming years. The anticipated benefits of the Corporate Rebrand may not be achieved within the anticipated timeframe, without additional near or long-term investment, or at all. Any of these factors could negatively impact our revenues, earnings per share, decrease or delay the expected accretive effect of the Corporate Rebrand, and negatively impact the price of our common stock.

Significant disruptions of information technology systems or breaches of information security systems could adversely affect our business. 

We rely upon a combination of sophisticated information technology systems as well as traditional recordkeeping to operate our business.  In the ordinary course of business, we collect, store, and transmit confidential information (including, but not limited to, information about our business, financial information, personal data, intellectual property, and, in some instances, patient data).  Our information technology and information security systems and records are potentially vulnerable to security breaches, service interruptions, data loss, or malicious attacks resulting from inadvertent or intentional actions by our employees, vendors, or other third parties.  In addition, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have implemented remote work arrangements for some employees, and those employees may use outside technology and systems that are vulnerable to security breaches, service interruptions, data loss or malicious attacks, including by third parties.

As an example of these risks, on November 1, 2019 we were notified that we had become a victim of a business e-mail compromise.  During the fourth quarter of 2019, a company email account was compromised by a third-party impersonator and a payment intended for one of our US vendors in the amount of $2.6 million was fraudulently re-directed into an individual bank account controlled by this third-party impersonator.  Our cyber-insurance covered all but $25,000 of the unrecovered losses from this compromise.

While we have invested, and continue to invest, in our information technology and information security systems and employee information security training, there can be no assurance that our efforts will prevent all security breaches, service interruptions, or data losses. We have limited cyber-insurance coverage that may not cover all possible events, and this insurance is subject to deductibles and coverage limitations. Any security breaches, service interruptions, or data losses could adversely affect our business operations or result in the loss of critical or sensitive confidential information or intellectual property, or in financial, legal, business, and reputational harm to us or allow third parties to gain material, inside information that they may use to trade in our securities.

Industry Risks

Our products and tissues are highly regulated and subject to significant quality and regulatory risks.

The commercialization of medical devices and processing and distribution of human tissues are highly complex and subject to significant global quality and regulatory risks and as such, we face the following risks:

Our products and tissues allegedly have caused, and may in the future cause, patient injury, which has exposed, and could in the future expose, us to liability claims that could lead to additional regulatory scrutiny;

Our manufacturing and tissue processing operations are subject to regulatory scrutiny, inspections and enforcement actions, and regulatory agencies could require us to change or modify our operations or take other action, such as issuing product recalls or holds;

Regulatory agencies could reclassify, re-evaluate, or suspend our clearances or approvals, or fail, or decline to, issue or reissue our clearances or approvals that are necessary to sell our products and distribute tissues;

Regulatory and quality requirements are subject to change, which could adversely affect our ability to sell our products or distribute tissues; and

Adverse publicity associated with our products, processed tissues, or our industry could lead to a decreased use of our products or tissues, increased regulatory scrutiny, or product or tissue processing liability claims.

Further, on May 25, 2017 the European Union adopted a new Medical Device Regulation (MDR 2017/745) (“MDR”), which was fully implemented on May 26, 2021. The MDR places stricter requirements on manufacturers and European Notified Bodies regarding, among other things, product classifications and pre- and post-market clinical studies for product clearances and approvals which could result in product reclassifications or the imposition of other regulatory requirements that could delay, impede, or prevent our ability to commercialize existing, improved, or new products in the European Economic Area (“EEA”) and other markets that require CE Marking. Additionally, to the extent the MDR places stricter requirements on manufacturers of custom-made devices, those new requirements could delay, impede, or otherwise impact the availability of our E-xtra Design Engineering products. Finally, COVID-19 has impacted the predictability and timelines associated with the MDR transition.

Since the implementation of the MDR, Notified Bodies must review any proposed changes to determine if they require evaluation under the MDR or if they can still be evaluated under currently held MDD certifications. Our inability to obtain certifications for changes under the transitional provisions of the MDR’s Article 120 or successfully submit proposed changes requiring MDR evaluation will delay implementation of those changes which could adversely impact our ability to obtain or renew certifications, clearances, or approvals for our products.

Finally, we anticipate additional regulatory impact as a result of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union (“Brexit”). The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”) has announced that CE Marking will continue to be recognized in the UK and certificates issued by EU-recognized Notified Bodies will continue to be valid in the UK market until June 30, 2023. Going forward, all devices marketed in the UK will require UK Conformity Assessed Marks certified by a UK Approved Body (the re-designation of the UK Notified Body).

In 2019, our notified body in the UK, Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Limited (“LRQA”), informed us that it would no longer provide Notified Body services for medical devices effective September 2019.  The governing German competent authority, the Regierungspraesidium-Tubingen, granted us an extended grace period until December 31, 2021 to transfer LRQA-issued certifications for BioGlue and PhotoFix to a new Notified Body.  We are currently in the process of transferring BioGlue and PhotoFix to our new Notified Body, DEKRA.  While positive progress has been made, DEKRA has been unable to complete the last audit, a Phase 2 onsite audit, for our registration due to COVID-19 restrictions on travel, staffing shortages, and workload related to the transition to the MDR. We currently have sufficient inventory on the market in the EU to cover customer demand for a period of the transition. We also are currently requesting derogations from certain individual European countries to allow us to continue to commercialize BioGlue in those countries until we can complete the certification process with DEKRA. Failure to obtain such derogations before our inventory is depleted, or any other delays in this transition, may have a material adverse effect on our ability to supply demand in affected jurisdictions, have a material, adverse impact on our business, and may also impact our Medical Device Single Audit Program (“MDSAP”) certifications. Failure to timely obtain new MDSAP certifications following their expiration may impact our ability to distribute covered products in Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Japan.

Reclassification by the FDA of CryoValve SG pulmonary heart valve (“CryoValve SGPV”) may make it commercially infeasible to continue processing the CryoValve SGPV.

In December 2019 we learned that the FDA is preparing to issue a proposed rule for reclassification of more than minimally manipulated (“MMM”) allograft heart valves to Class III medical devices, which could include our CryoValve SGPV. Following a comment period and subsequent publication of any final rule, should the CryoValve SGPV be determined to be MMM, we expect to have approximately thirty months to submit an FDA PMA application, after which the FDA will determine if, and for how long, we may continue to provide these tissues to customers during review of the PMA application. To date, the FDA has not issued such a proposed final rule.

If the FDA ultimately classifies our CryoValve SGPV as a Class III medical device, and if there are delays in obtaining the PMA, if we are unsuccessful in obtaining the PMA, or if the costs associated with these activities are significant, we could decide that the requirements for continued processing of the CryoValve SGPV are too onerous, leading us to discontinue distribution of these tissues.

We may not be successful in obtaining clinical results or regulatory clearances/approvals for new and existing products and services, and our approved products and services may not achieve market acceptance.

Our growth and profitability depends in part upon our ability to develop, and successfully introduce, new products and services, or expand upon existing indications, clearances, and approvals, requiring that we invest significant time and resources to obtain new regulatory clearances/approvals, including investment into pre- and post-market clinical studies. Although we believe certain products and services in our portfolio or under development may be effective in a particular application, we cannot be certain until we successfully execute on relevant clinical trials, and the results we obtain from pre- and post-market clinical studies may be insufficient for us to obtain or maintain any required regulatory approvals or clearances.

We are currently seeking regulatory approval for BioGlue in China, where the Chinese regulatory body has made additional requests, and expressed several concerns, related to the application. If we cannot satisfy the regulator’s requests and concerns and obtain approval or an extension in April 2022, the pending application will expire and no longer be eligible for allowance, requiring the Company to restart or decide to abandon the approval process.

Each of our trials, studies, and approvals is subject to the risks outlined herein.

We cannot give assurance that regulatory agencies will clear or approve these products and services or indications, or any new products and services or new indications, on a timely basis, if ever, or that the products and services or new indications will adequately meet the requirements of the market or achieve market acceptance. Pre- and post-market clinical studies may also be delayed or halted due to many factors beyond our control.

If we are unable to successfully complete the development of a product, service, or application, or if we determine for any reason not to complete development or obtain regulatory approval or clearance of any product, service, or application, particularly in instances when we have expended significant capital, this could materially, adversely affect our financial performance. Research and development efforts are time consuming and expensive, and we cannot be certain that these efforts will lead to commercially successful products or services. Even the successful commercialization of a new product or service in the medical industry can be characterized by slow growth and high costs associated with marketing, under-utilized production capacity, and continuing research and development and education costs, among other things. The introduction of new products or services may require significant physician training or years of clinical evidence in order to gain acceptance in the medical community.

Regulatory enforcement activities regarding Ethylene Oxide, which is used to sterilize some of our products and components, could have a material, adverse impact on us.

Some of our products, including our On-X products, are sterilized using Ethylene Oxide (“EtO”). Although we have a small-scale EtO facility in Austin, Texas, we rely primarily on large-scale EtO facilities to sterilize our products. In addition, some of our suppliers use, or rely upon third parties to use, EtO to sterilize some of our product components. Concerns about the release of EtO into the environment at unsafe levels have led to increased activism and lobbying as well as various regulatory enforcement activities against EtO facilities, including closures and temporary closures, as well as proposals increasing regulations related to EtO. The number of EtO facilities in the US is limited, and any permanent or temporary closures or disruption to their operations could delay, impede, or prevent our ability to commercialize our products. In addition, any regulatory enforcement activities against us for our use of EtO could result in financial, legal, business, and reputational harm to us.

We may be subject to fines, penalties, and other sanctions if we are deemed to be promoting the use of our products for unapproved, or off-label, uses.

Our business and future growth depend on the continued use of our products for approved uses. Generally, regulators contend that, unless our products are approved or cleared by a regulatory body for alternative uses, we may not make claims about the safety or effectiveness of our products or promote them for such uses. Such limitations present a risk that law enforcement could allege that the nature and scope of our sales, marketing, or support activities, though designed to comply with all regulatory requirements, constitute unlawful promotion of our products for an unapproved use. We also face the risk that such authorities might pursue enforcement based on past activities that we discontinued or changed. Investigations concerning the promotion of unapproved uses and related issues are typically expensive, disruptive, and burdensome and generate negative publicity. If our promotional activities are found to be in violation of the law, we may face significant fines and penalties and may be required to substantially change our sales, promotion, grant, and educational activities. In addition, we or our officers could be excluded from participation in government healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

Healthcare policy changes may have a material, adverse effect on us.

In response to perceived increases in healthcare costs in recent years, there have been, and continue to be, proposals by the governmental authorities, third-party payors, and elected office holders and candidates to impact public health, control healthcare costs and, more generally, to reform the healthcare systems.  Additional uncertainty is anticipated as debates about healthcare, vaccines, and public health continue in light of the COVID-19 pandemic which may have an impact on US law relating to the healthcare industry. Many US healthcare laws, such as the Affordable Care Act, are complex, subject to change, and dependent on interpretation and enforcement decisions from government agencies with broad discretion. The application of these laws to us, our customers, or the specific services and relationships we have with our customers is not always clear. Our failure to anticipate accurately any changes to, or the repeal or invalidation of all or part of the Affordable Care Act and similar or future laws and regulations, or our failure to comply with them, could create liability for us, result in adverse publicity and negatively affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. As an example, the Executive Branch of the US government recently issued three vaccine mandates that may cover all, or groups of, our US workforce. While the temporary mandate has been withdrawn by the executive branch because the US Supreme Court stayed it, the Executive Branch of the US government has indicated that it intends to issue a similar permanent mandate and it may issue other such mandates. We are currently evaluating the applicability of the remaining two mandates to us. In addition, states and local authorities have begun to issue various forms of vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 related restrictive measures, while others have issued bans of such measures. If we determine that any of these COVID-19 related restrictions apply to us or that they are in conflict with one another, attempted compliance with such laws could cause disruption to our business and in our workforce that could have an impact on our ability to attract or retain talent and increase our costs or could otherwise adversely affect our business and profitability.

Further, the growth of our business, results of operations and financial condition rely, in part, on customers in the healthcare industry that receive substantial revenues from governmental and other third-party payer programs. A reduction or less than expected increase in government funding for these programs or a change in reimbursement or allocation methodologies, or a change in reimbursement related to products designated as “breakthrough devices” by the FDA, could negatively affect our customers’ businesses and, in turn, negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition. Any changes that lower reimbursement for our products or reduce medical procedure volumes, could adversely affect our business and profitability.

Legal, Quality, and Regulatory Risks

As a medical device manufacturer and tissue services provider we are exposed to risk of product liability claims and our existing insurance coverage may be insufficient, or we may be unable to obtain insurance in the future, to cover any resulting liability.

Our products and processed tissues allegedly have caused, and may in the future cause, injury or result in other serious complications that may result in product or other liability claims from our customers or their patients. If our products are defectively designed, manufactured, or labeled, or contain inadequate warnings, defective components, or are misused, or are used contrary to our warnings, instructions, and approved indications, we may become subject to costly litigation that can have unpredictable and sometimes extreme outcomes.

We maintain claims-made insurance policies to mitigate our financial exposure to product and tissue processing liability and securities, claims, among others, that are reported to the insurance carrier while the policy is in effect. These policies do not include coverage for punitive damages. Although we have insurance for product and tissue processing liabilities, securities, property, and general liabilities, if we are unsuccessful in arranging cost-effective acceptable resolutions of claims, it is possible that our insurance program may not be adequate to cover any or all possible claims or losses, including losses arising out of natural disasters or catastrophic circumstances. Any significant claim could result in an increase in our insurance rates or jeopardize our ability to secure coverage on reasonable terms, if at all.

Any securities or product liability/tissue processing claim, even a meritless or unsuccessful one, could be costly to defend, and result in diversion of our management’s attention from our business, adverse publicity, withdrawal of clinical trial participants, injury to our reputation, or loss of revenue.

We are subject to various US and international bribery, anti-kickback, false claims, privacy, transparency, and similar laws, any breach of which could cause a material, adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and profitability.

Our relationships with physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare providers are subject to scrutiny under various US and international bribery, anti-kickback, false claims, privacy, transparency, and similar laws, often referred to collectively as “healthcare compliance laws.” Healthcare compliance laws are broad, sometimes ambiguous, complex, and subject to change and changing interpretations. Possible sanctions for violation of these healthcare compliance laws include fines, civil and criminal penalties, exclusion from government healthcare programs, and despite our compliance efforts, we face the risk of an enforcement activity or a finding of a violation of these laws.

We have entered into consulting and product development agreements with healthcare professionals and healthcare organizations, including some who may order our products or make decisions to use them. We have also adopted the AdvaMed Code of Conduct, the MedTech Europe Code of Ethical Business Practice, and the APACMed Code of Ethical Conduct which govern our relationships with healthcare professionals to bolster our compliance with healthcare compliance laws. While our relationships with healthcare professionals and organizations are structured to comply with such laws and we conduct training sessions on these laws and Codes, it is possible that enforcement authorities may view our relationships as prohibited arrangements that must be restructured or for which we would be subject to other significant civil or criminal penalties or debarment. In any event, any enforcement review of or action against us as a result of such review, regardless of outcome, could be costly and time consuming.  Additionally, we cannot predict the impact of any changes in or interpretations of these laws, whether these changes will be retroactive or will have effect on a going-forward basis only.

The proliferation of new and expanded data privacy laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union, could adversely affect our business.

An increasing number of federal, state, and foreign data privacy laws and regulations, which can be enforced by private parties or governmental entities, have been or are being promulgated and are constantly evolving. These laws and regulations may include new requirements for companies that receive or process an individual’s personal data (including employees), which increases our operating costs and requires significant management time and energy. Many of these laws and regulations, including the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) also include significant penalties for noncompliance. Although our personal data practices, policies, and procedures are intended to comply with GDPR and other data privacy laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that regulatory or enforcement authorities will view our arrangements as being in compliance with applicable laws, or that one or more of our employees or agents will not disregard the rules we have established. Any privacy related government enforcement activities may be costly, result in negative publicity, or subject us to significant penalties.

Some of our products and technologies are subject to significant intellectual property risks and uncertainty.

We own trade secrets, patents, patent applications, and licenses relating to our technologies and trademarks and goodwill related to our products and services, which we believe provide us with important competitive advantages. We cannot be certain that we will be able to maintain our trade secrets, that our pending patent applications will issue as patents, or that no one will challenge the validity or enforceability of any intellectual property that we adopt, own, or license.  Competitors may independently develop our proprietary technologies or design non-infringing alternatives to patented inventions. We do not control the maintenance, prosecution, enforcement, or strategy for in-licensed intellectual property and as such are dependent in part on the owners of these rights to maintain their viability. Their failure to do so could significantly impair our ability to exploit those technologies. Additionally, our technologies, products, or services could infringe intellectual property rights owned by others, or others could infringe our intellectual property rights.

If we become involved in intellectual property disputes, the costs could be expensive, and if we were to lose or decide to settle, the amounts or effects of the settlement or award by a tribunal could be costly.

Risks Relating to Our Indebtedness

The agreements governing our indebtedness contain restrictions that limit our flexibility in operating our business.

The agreements governing our indebtedness contain, and any instruments governing future indebtedness of ours may contain, covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us and certain of our subsidiaries, including (subject in each case to certain exceptions) restrictions or prohibitions on our and certain of our subsidiaries’ ability to, among other things:

Incur or guarantee additional debt or create liens on certain assets;

Pay dividends on or make distributions of our share capital, including repurchasing or redeeming capital stock, or make other restricted payments, including restricted junior payments;

Enter into agreements that restrict our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends to us, repay debt owed to us or our subsidiaries, or make loans or advances to us or our other subsidiaries;

Enter into certain transactions with our affiliates including any transaction or merger or consolidation, liquidation, winding-up, or dissolution; convey, sell, lease, exchange, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or any part of our business, assets or property; or sell, assign, or otherwise dispose of any capital stock of any subsidiary;

Enter into certain rate swap transactions, basis swaps, credit derivative transactions, and other similar transactions, whether relating to interest rates, commodities, investments, securities, currencies, or any other relevant measure, or transactions of any kind subject to any form of master purchase agreement governed by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc., any International Foreign Exchange Master Agreement, or any other master agreement;

Amend, supplement, waive, or otherwise modify our or our subsidiaries organizational documents in a manner that would be materially adverse to the interests of the lenders, or change or amend the terms of documentation regarding junior financing in a manner that would be materially adverse to the interests of the lenders;

Make changes to our and our subsidiaries’ fiscal year without notice to the administrative agent under the agreement;

Enter into agreements which restrict our ability to incur liens;

Engage in any line of business substantially different from that in which we are currently engaged; and

Make certain investments, including strategic acquisitions or joint ventures.

Our indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund operations and limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry.

Our current and future levels of indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital, limit our operational flexibility, and hinder our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry. It may also limit our ability to borrow money, require us to dedicate substantial portions of our cash flow to repayment, and restrict our ability to invest in business opportunities. Because most of our borrowings are at a variable rate of interest, we are exposed to interest rate fluctuations.

We have pledged substantially all of our US assets as collateral under our existing Credit Agreement. If we default on the terms of such credit agreements and the holders of our indebtedness accelerate the repayment of such indebtedness, there can be no assurance that we will have sufficient assets to repay our indebtedness.

A failure to comply with the covenants in our existing Credit Agreement could result in an event of default, which, if not cured or waived, could have a material, adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and profitability. In the event of any such default, the holders of our indebtedness:

Will not be required to lend any additional amounts to us; and

Could elect to declare all indebtedness outstanding, together with accrued and unpaid interest and fees, to be due and payable and terminate all commitments to extend further credit, if applicable.

If we are unable to repay those amounts, the holders of our secured indebtedness could proceed against their secured collateral to seek repayment out of proceeds from the sale or liquidation of our assets. If our indebtedness were to be accelerated, there can be no assurance that our assets would be sufficient to repay such indebtedness in full.

Risks Related to Ownership of our Common Stock

Our business could be negatively impacted as a result of shareholder activism.

In recent years, shareholder activists have become involved in numerous public companies. Shareholder activists from time to time propose to involve themselves in the governance, strategic direction, and operations of a company. Such involvement may disrupt our business and divert the attention of our management, and any perceived uncertainties as to our future direction resulting from such involvement could result in the loss of business opportunities, be exploited by our competitors, cause concern for our current or potential customers, cause significant fluctuations in stock price, or make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel and business partners.

Our business could be impacted by increased shareholder emphasis on environmental, social, and governance matters.

Investors and other key stakeholders are increasingly focusing on areas of corporate responsibility, and particularly matters related to environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) factors. Institutional investors have expressed expectations with respect to ESG matters that they use to guide their investment strategies and may, in some cases, choose not to invest in us if they believe our ESG policies are lagging or inadequate. Other stakeholders also have expectations regarding ESG factors, such as employees or potential employees who desire to work for a company that reflects their personal values. These areas of focus are continuing to evolve, as are the criteria that investors assess companies’ performance in these areas. Investors are increasingly looking to companies that demonstrate strong ESG and sustainability practices as an indicator of long-term resilience, especially in light of events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping up with and meeting these expectations may disrupt our business and divert the attention of our management, and we may be unable to make the investments in ESG that our competitors with greater financial resources are able to make. Failure to meet the expectations of investors and other stakeholders in these areas may damage our reputation, impact employee retention, impact the willingness of our customers to do business with us, or otherwise impact our financial results and stock price.

We do not anticipate paying any dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future.

In December 2015 our Board of Directors discontinued dividend payments on our common stock for the foreseeable future. If we do not pay cash dividends, our shareholders may receive a return on their investment in our common stock only through appreciation of shares of our common stock that they own. In addition, restrictions in our credit facility limit our ability to pay future dividends.

Provisions of Delaware law and anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents may discourage or prevent a change of control, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to shareholders, which could affect our share price adversely and prevent attempts by shareholders to remove current management.

Effective January 1, 2022, we reincorporated in Delaware. Our status as a Delaware corporation and the anti-takeover provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control by prohibiting us from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years after the person becomes an interested stockholder, even if a change of control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. In addition, the organizational documents adopted in connection with our reincorporation contain provisions that restrict persons who may call shareholder meetings, allow the issuance of blank-check preferred stock without the vote of shareholders, and allow the Board of Directors to fill vacancies and fix the number of directors. These provisions of Delaware law and our articles of incorporation and bylaws could prevent attempts by shareholders to remove current management, prohibit or delay mergers or other changes of control transactions, and discourage attempts by other companies to acquire us, even if such a transaction would be beneficial to our shareholders. The effects of reincorporation in Delaware are detailed in our 2021 Special Proxy Statement and Notice of Special Meeting filed with the SEC on October 7, 2021.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

Item 2. Properties.

Our corporate headquarters and laboratory facilities consist of approximately 190,400 square feet of leased manufacturing, administrative, laboratory, and warehouse space located on a 21.5-acre setting, with an additional 14,400 square feet of off-site warehouse space both located in Kennesaw, Georgia. The manufacturing and tissue processing space includes approximately 20,000 square feet of class 10,000 clean rooms and 8,000 square feet of class 100,000 clean rooms. This extensive clean room environment provides a controlled aseptic environment for manufacturing and tissue preservation. Two back-up emergency generators assure continuity of our manufacturing operations and liquid nitrogen freezers maintain preserved tissue at or below –135C. We manufacture products from our Medical Devices segment, including BioGlue and PhotoFix, and process and preserve tissues from our Preservation Services segment at our headquarters facility. Our corporate headquarters also includes a CardioGenesis cardiac laser therapy maintenance and evaluation laboratory space.

Our corporate complex includes the Ronald C. Elkins Learning Center, a 3,600 square foot auditorium that holds 225 participants, and a 1,500 square foot training lab, both equipped with closed-circuit and satellite television broadcast capability allowing live broadcasts from and to anywhere in the world. The Ronald C. Elkins Learning Center provides visiting surgeons with a hands-on training environment for surgical and implantation techniques for our technology platforms.

Our primary European subsidiary, JOTEC, located in Hechingen, Germany, maintains facilities that consist of approximately 80,000 square feet of leased manufacturing, administrative, laboratory, and warehouse space. In 2021 we opened an additional 76,000 square foot manufacturing, administrative, laboratory, and warehouse space.

Our On-X facility consists of approximately 75,000 square feet of combined manufacturing, warehouse, and office space leased in Austin, Texas.

We also lease a facility, which consists of 15,600 square feet of combined manufacturing and office space in Atlanta, Georgia, which we sublet to a third-party. This facility was sublet beginning in 2018.

We lease small amounts of ancillary additional office and warehouse space in various countries in which we operate direct sales subsidiaries, including in Brazil, Italy, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

From time to time, we are involved in legal proceedings concerning matters arising in connection with the conduct of our business activities. We regularly evaluate the status of legal proceedings in which we are involved in order to assess whether a loss is probable or there is a reasonable possibility that a loss or additional loss may been incurred, and to determine if accruals are appropriate. We further evaluate each legal proceeding to assess whether an estimate of possible loss or range of loss can be made.

Based on current knowledge, management does not believe that there are any pending matters that potentially could have a material, adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. However, we are engaged in various legal actions in the normal course of business. There can be no assurances in light of the inherent uncertainties involved in any potential legal proceedings, some of which are beyond our control, and an adverse outcome in any legal proceeding could be material to our results of operations or cash flows for any particular reporting period.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

‎

PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Market Price of Common Stock

Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “AORT.” Prior to January 24, 2022 our common stock was traded on the NYSE under the symbol “CRY.” The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the intra-day high and low sale prices per share of common stock on the NYSE.

As of February 18, 2022 we had 210 shareholders of record.

Dividends

No dividends were paid in 2021, 2020, or 2019.

On December 1, 2017 we entered into a Credit and Guaranty Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”), among Artivion, as borrower, CryoLife International, Inc., On-X Life Technologies Holdings, Inc., On-X Life Technologies, Inc., AuraZyme Pharmaceuticals, Inc., as guarantor subsidiaries, the financial institutions party thereto from time to time as lenders, and Deutsche Bank AG New York Branch, as administrative agent and collateral agent. The Credit Agreement prohibits the payment of certain restricted payments, including cash dividends. See also Part II, Item 8, Note 11 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” for further discussion of the Credit Agreement.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The following table provides information about purchases we made during the quarter ended December 31, 2021 of equity securities that are registered by us pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Common Stock

The common shares purchased during the quarter ended December 31, 2021 were tendered to us in payment of taxes on stock compensation and were not part of a publicly announced plan or program.

Under our Credit Agreement, we are prohibited from repurchasing our common stock, except for the repurchase of stock from our employees or directors when tendered in payment of taxes or the exercise price of stock options, upon the satisfaction of certain requirements.

Item 6. Selected Financial Data.

On November 19, 2020 the SEC adopted certain amendments to Regulation S-K, which are intended to modernize, simplify, and enhance certain financial disclosure requirements. Among other topics of focus, the amendments eliminated the requirements of Item 301, Selected Financial Data, which required certain public companies to provide the last five years of selected financial data in tabular form. We have elected to comply with the provision of the amendment allowing certain registrants to stop providing selected financial data.

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this filing. The discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including those set forth under Part I, Item 1A."Risk Factors" of this Form 10-K. The following discussion and analysis does not include certain items related to the year ended December 31, 2019, including year-to-year comparisons between the year ended December 31, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019. For a comparison of our results of operations for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, see Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on February 23, 2021.

Overview

Artivion, Inc. (“Artivion,” the “Company,” “we,” or “us”), is a leader in the manufacturing, processing, and distribution of medical devices and implantable human tissues used in cardiac and vascular surgical procedures for patients with aortic disease. We have four major product families: aortic stents and stent grafts, surgical sealants, On-X^® mechanical heart valves and related surgical products, and implantable cardiac and vascular human tissues. Aortic stents and stent grafts include JOTEC^® stent grafts and surgical products (collectively, “JOTEC Products”), the Ascyrus Medical Dissection Stent (“AMDS”) hybrid prosthesis, and the NEXUS^® endovascular stent graft system (“NEXUS”). Surgical sealants include BioGlue^® Surgical Adhesive (“BioGlue”) products. In addition to these four major product families, we sell or distribute PhotoFix^® bovine surgical patches, CardioGenesis^® cardiac laser therapy, Therion^® chorioamniotic allografts (previously marketed as NeoPatch^®), and PerClot^® hemostatic powder (prior to the sale to a subsidiary of Baxter International, Inc (“Baxter”)).

For the year ended December 31, 2021 we reported annual revenues of $298.8 million, increasing 18% over the prior year, largely due to increases in revenues from all products and preservation services. For the year ended December 31, 2021 we reported a net loss of $14.8 million. See the “Results of Operations” section below for additional analysis of the fourth quarter and full year 2021 results. See Part I, Item 1, “Business,” for further discussion of our business and activities during 2021.

Sale of PerClot

On July 28, 2021 we entered into an asset purchase agreement and other ancillary agreements related to the sale of PerClot, a polysaccharide hemostatic agent used in surgery (“PerClot”) to Baxter, and an agreement to terminate all of our material agreements with Starch Medical, Inc. (“SMI”) related to PerClot (collectively the “Baxter Transaction”). Under the terms of the Baxter Transaction, Baxter will pay an aggregate of up to $60.8 million in consideration (we will receive up to $45.8 million and SMI will receive up to $15.0 million), consisting of (i) $25.0 million at closing, of which $6.0 million was paid to SMI; (ii) up to $25.0 million upon our receipt of Premarket Approval (“PMA”) approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) for PerClot and our transfer of the PMA to Baxter, of which up to $6.0 million is payable to SMI, subject to certain reductions for delay in PMA approval; and (iii) up to $10.0 million upon Baxter’s achievement of certain cumulative worldwide net sales of PerClot prior to December 31, 2026 and December 31, 2027, of which up to $3.0 million is payable to SMI. In addition, at the conclusion of our manufacturing and supply services for Baxter, Baxter will pay us $780,000 upon transfer of our PerClot manufacturing equipment. Under the terms of the Baxter Transaction, we will continue to provide to Baxter certain transition and manufacturing and supply services relating to the sale of SMI PerClot outside of the US and manufacture and supply of PerClot to Baxter post PMA approval.

Effects of COVID-19

In December 2019 an outbreak of a respiratory illness caused by a new coronavirus named “2019-nCoV” (“COVID-19”) was detected, and by March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a “pandemic.”

Beginning in March 2020 we took steps to address the potential impact of COVID-19 on our employees and operations, and to preserve cash, including reducing expenditures and delaying investments. These steps included, but were not limited to, implementing specific protocols to minimize workplace exposures to COVID-19 by our employees; implementing remote work arrangements for most employees we deemed able to do so; restricting business travel; implementing hiring restrictions; reducing planned expenditures on some pending clinical trials; imposing senior management cash salary reductions in exchange for cash payments in the second quarter of 2021; requiring our Board of Directors to accept Artivion stock instead of cash compensation for a six month period through October 2020; and suspending management merit increases for seven months in 2020.

Our efforts to protect our supply chain and reduce the spread of COVID-19 among our employees, including our work-from-home arrangements, were successful in 2020 and 2021 as we continued to operate all manufacturing sites at full production. These efforts have not materially affected our ability to maintain our business operations, including the operation of financial reporting systems, internal control over financial reporting, or disclosure controls and procedures; however, there is no guarantee that these efforts and arrangements, if they are continued, will continue to be successful in the future. Further, our reductions or delays in expenditures slowed our progress on certain key R&D initiatives and could in the future continue to adversely impact our business operations or further delay our recovery from the pandemic.

Although we have scaled back many of our COVID-19 mitigation efforts, we continue to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of new variants on our business and recognize that COVID-19 and its effects could continue to negatively impact our business and results of operations beyond 2021. As an example, the COVID-19 pandemic reportedly has impacted the global supply chain. Although we have yet to experience any material effects of this impact on our supply chain or operations, we face an increasing risk that upstream disruptions may occur or worsen. As global economies continue to recover from the COVID-19 downturn, the expiration of COVID-19 related hiring freezes, increased opportunities for remote work, and increasing compensation pressure have resulted in a war for talent and an unprecedent number of retirements or career changes. The resulting worker shortages at all levels have impacted supply chains and distribution channels and employers’ and our own ability to adequately staff operations. Impact from these shortages during 2021, including a shortage of trained staff capable of meeting the increased demand associated with releasing quarantined tissue, have impacted, and may impact our operations going forward. Hospitals and other healthcare providers have also experienced staffing shortages impacting our business including increased restrictions on elective and non-emergent procedures, restrictions on access to healthcare facilities, cancellation of elective procedures, and the re-allocation of scarce resources to some critically ill patients. Portions of our operations are being impacted by public and private vaccine mandates, which can impact hospital staffing, impact our specialized workforce, and impact the global supply chain, all of which can directly or indirectly impact our product sales, business operations, manufacturing operations, workforce, and research and development projects.

The extent to which our operations and financial performance will be impacted by the pandemic in and beyond 2022 will depend largely on future developments, including changes in hospital utilization rates and staffing, prevalence and severity of new variants, the impact of vaccine mandates or vaccine encouragement programs on the spread of COVID-19 and its variants, global availability and acceptance of vaccines and their effectiveness against variants, the prevalence of vaccine mandates generally, disruptions to workforce availability, and any continuing impact on the global supply chain. If COVID-19 or its variants become more contagious, if efforts to further contain the effects of COVID-19 or its variants, including vaccine mandates or adoption, are unsuccessful, if COVID-19, its variants, or disruptions to the global supply chain impact our supply chain or employee availability or productivity, or if we continue to experience periods of uncertainty due to COVID-19 or its variants, it could materially, adversely affect our revenues, financial condition, profitability, and cash flows.

See the “Risk Factors” identified in Part I, Item 1A of this form 10-K for risks related to COVID-19.

Critical Accounting Policies

A summary of our significant accounting policies is included in Part II, Item 8, Note 1 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.” We believe that the consistent application of these policies enables us to provide users of the financial statements with useful and reliable information about our operating results and financial condition. The consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the US, which require us to make estimates and

assumptions. The following are accounting policies that we believe are most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and may involve a higher degree of judgment and complexity.

Deferred Preservation Costs

Deferred preservation costs include costs of cardiac and vascular tissues available for shipment, tissues currently in active processing, and tissues held in quarantine pending release to implantable status. By federal law, human tissues cannot be bought or sold; therefore, the tissues we preserve are not held as inventory. The costs we incur to procure and process cardiac and vascular tissues are instead accumulated and deferred. Deferred preservation costs are stated at the lower of cost or market value on a first-in, first-out basis and are deferred until revenue is recognized. Upon shipment of tissue to an implanting facility, revenue is recognized, and the related deferred preservation costs are expensed as cost of preservation services. Cost of preservation services also includes, as applicable, lower of cost or market write-downs and impairments for tissues not deemed to be recoverable, and includes, as incurred, idle facility expense, excessive spoilage, extra freight, and re-handling costs.

The calculation of deferred preservation costs involves judgment and complexity and uses the same principles as inventory costing. Donated human tissue is procured from deceased human donors by organ and tissue procurement organizations (“OPOs”) and tissue banks, that provide the tissue to us for processing, preservation, and distribution. Deferred preservation costs consist primarily of the procurement fees charged by the OPOs and tissue banks, direct labor and materials (including salary and fringe benefits, laboratory supplies and expenses, and freight-in charges), and indirect costs (including allocations of costs from support departments and facility allocations). Fixed production overhead costs are allocated based on actual tissue processing levels, to the extent that they are within the range of the facility’s normal capacity.

These costs are then allocated among the tissues processed during the period based on cost drivers, such as the number of donors or number of tissues processed. We apply a yield estimate to all tissues in process and in quarantine to estimate the portion of tissues that will ultimately become implantable. We estimate quarantine and in process yields based on our experience and reevaluate these estimates periodically. Actual yields could differ significantly from our estimates, which could result in a change in tissues available for shipment and could increase or decrease the balance of deferred preservation costs. These changes could result in additional cost of preservation services expense or could increase per tissue preservation costs, which would impact gross margins on tissue preservation services in future periods.

We regularly evaluate our deferred preservation costs to determine if the costs are appropriately recorded at the lower of cost or market value. We also evaluate our deferred preservation costs for costs not deemed to be recoverable, including tissues not expected to ship prior to the expiration date of their packaging. Lower of cost or market value write-downs are recorded if the tissue processing costs incurred exceed the estimated market value of the tissue services, based on recent average service fees at the time of the evaluation. Impairment write-downs are recorded based on the book value of tissues deemed to be impaired. Actual results may differ from these estimates. Write-downs of deferred preservation costs are expensed as cost of preservation services, and these write-downs are permanent impairments that create a new cost basis, which cannot be restored to its previous levels if our estimates change.

We recorded write-downs to our deferred preservation costs totaling $575,000, $1.7 million, and $787,000 for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively, due primarily to tissues not expected to ship prior to the expiration date of the packaging. In addition, write-offs during the year ended December 31, 2020 included $826,000 of non-conforming tissues resulting from the contaminated saline solution. See “Results of Operations,” for further discussion of contaminated saline solution.

Fair Value Measurements

We record certain financial instruments at fair value on a recurring basis, including cash equivalents, and certain restricted securities. We may make an irrevocable election to measure other financial instruments at fair value on an instrument-by-instrument basis. Fair value financial instruments are recorded in accordance with the fair value measurement framework.

We also measure certain assets and liabilities at fair value on a non-recurring basis. These non-recurring valuations include evaluating assets such as certain financial assets, long-lived assets, and non-amortizing intangible assets for impairment, allocating value to assets in an acquired asset group and applying accounting for business combinations and the initial recognition of liabilities such as contingent consideration. We use the fair value measurement framework to value these assets and liabilities and report these fair values in the periods in which they are recorded or written down.

The fair value measurement framework includes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes observable and unobservable inputs used to measure fair values in their broad levels. These levels from highest to lowest priority are as follows:

Level 1: Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical assets or liabilities;

Level 2: Quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities or observable prices that are based on inputs not quoted in active markets, but corroborated by market data; and

Level 3: Unobservable inputs or valuation techniques that are used when little or no market data is available.

The determination of fair value and the assessment of a measurement’s placement within the hierarchy requires judgment. Level 3 valuations often involve a higher degree of judgment and complexity. Level 3 valuations may require the use of various cost, market, or income valuation methodologies applied to our unobservable estimates and assumptions. Our assumptions could vary depending on the asset or liability valued and the valuation method used. Such assumptions could include: estimates of prices, earnings, costs, actions of market participants, market factors, or the weighting of various valuation methods. We may also engage external advisors to assist in determining fair value, as appropriate.

Although we believe that the recorded fair value of our financial instruments is appropriate, these fair values may not be indicative of net realizable value or reflective of future fair values.

Deferred Income Taxes

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effect of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and tax return purposes. We assess the recoverability of our deferred tax assets and provide a valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets when, as a result of this analysis, we believe it is more likely than not that some portion or all of our deferred tax assets will not be realized.

Assessing the recoverability of deferred tax assets involves judgment and complexity, including the consideration of prudent and feasible tax planning. Estimates and judgments used in the determination of the need for a valuation allowance and in calculating the amount of a needed valuation allowance include, but are not limited to, the following:

The ability to carry back deferred tax attributes to a prior tax year;

Timing of the anticipated reversal of book/tax temporary differences;

Projected future operating results;

Anticipated future state tax apportionment;

Timing and amounts of anticipated future taxable income;

Evaluation of statutory limits regarding usage of certain tax assets; and

Evaluation of the statutory periods over which certain tax assets can be utilized.

Significant changes in the factors above, or other factors, could affect our ability to use our deferred tax assets. Such changes could have a material, adverse impact on our profitability, financial position, and cash flows. We will continue to assess the recoverability of our deferred tax assets, as necessary, when we experience changes that could materially affect our prior determination of the recoverability of our deferred tax assets.

Valuation of Acquired Assets or Businesses

As part of our corporate strategy, we are seeking to identify and capitalize upon acquisition opportunities of complementary product lines and companies. We evaluate and account for acquired patents, licenses, distribution rights, and other tangible or intangible assets as the purchase of an asset or asset group, or as a business combination, as appropriate. The determination of whether the purchase of a group of assets should be accounted for as an asset group or as a business combination requires judgment based on the weight of available evidence.

For the purchase of an asset group, we allocate the cost of the asset group, including transaction costs, to the individual assets purchased based on their relative estimated fair values. In-process research and development acquired as part of an asset group is expensed upon acquisition. We account for business combinations using the acquisition method. Under this method, the allocation of the purchase price is based on the fair value of the tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and the liabilities assumed as of the date of the acquisition. The excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair value of the tangible net assets and identifiable intangible assets is recorded as goodwill. Transaction costs related to a business combination are expensed as incurred. In-process research and development acquired as part of a business combination is accounted for as

an indefinite-lived intangible asset until the related research and development project gains regulatory approval or is discontinued.

We typically engage external advisors to assist in determining the fair value of acquired asset groups or business combinations, using valuation methodologies such as: the excess earnings, the discounted cash flow, or the relief from royalty methods. The determination of fair value in accordance with the fair value measurement framework requires significant judgments and estimates, including, but not limited to: timing of product life cycles, estimates of future revenues, estimates of profitability for new or acquired products, cost estimates for new or changed manufacturing processes, estimates of the cost or timing of obtaining regulatory approvals, estimates of the success of competitive products, and discount rates. We, in consultation with our advisor(s), make these estimates based on our prior experiences and industry knowledge. We believe that our estimates are reasonable, but actual results could differ significantly from our estimates. A significant change in our estimates used to value acquired asset groups or business combinations could result in future write-downs of tangible or intangible assets acquired by us and could, therefore, materially impact our financial position and profitability. If the value of the liabilities assumed by us, including contingent liabilities, is determined to be significantly different from the amounts previously recorded in purchase accounting, we may need to record additional expenses or write-downs in future periods, which could materially impact our financial position and profitability.

New Accounting Pronouncements

See Part II, Item 8, Note 1 of “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” for further discussion of new accounting standards that have been adopted or are being evaluated for future adoption.

Results of Operations

Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020

(In thousands)

Revenues