CryoLife, Inc. Will Add On-Line Tissue Availability Service To Its Worldwide Web Site
The new on-line CAT program will allow cardiovascular, vascular, and orthopaedic surgeons and hospitals throughout the world to source, on a daily basis, the availability of allograft heart valves, veins and connective tissue. The CAT program provides 24-hour, around-the-clock service. Physicians and hospitals will be able to respond by telephone, fax, or e-mail.
Steven G. Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer of CryoLife, Inc., noted, "The addition of tissue availability on our new interactive web site is in direct response to the expanding national and international surgical use of human cryopreserved tissue in transplant procedures. The new site is designed to shorten the response time to physicians' tissue requests in order to meet patient treatment requirements."
All the CryoLife processed tissues on the CAT site will include specific size information and serial identification on aortic, pulmonary and mitral heart valves, saphenous vein, femoral artery, and a variety of orthopaedic connective tissues. The CAT site will be password protected.
Another important feature of CryoLife's new interactive web site will be the ability of international cardiovascular surgeons to access information and place orders for the CryoLife-O'Brien(R) and CryoLife-Ross(R) stentless porcine heart valves and the recently introduced BioGlue(R), a surgical adhesive for vascular repair. Each of these three products carries the CE (product certification) mark allowing distribution within the European Community.
Founded in 1984, CryoLife, Inc. is a leader in the development and commercialization of living human tissue implantable devices for use in cardiovascular, vascular, and orthopaedic surgeries throughout the United States and Canada. The Company's BioGlue(R) Surgical Adhesive, CE marked in the European Union for use in vascular sealing and repair, is distributed throughout Europe. The Company also manufactures CryoLife-O'Brien(R) and CryoLife-Ross(R) stentless porcine heart valves which are distributed within the European Community.
Statements made in this press release which look forward in time involve risks and uncertainties and are "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such risks and uncertainties include the possibility that national and international surgical use of the Company's cryopreserved tissues in transplant procedures will not continue to increase and the ability of the Company's new web site to shorten the response time to physicians' tissue requests, changes in economic cycles, competition from other companies, changes in laws and governmental regulations applicable to the Company and other risk factors detailed in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the Company's Prospectus dated March 30, 1998, contained in its Registration Statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-46545.)
Editor's Note: CryoLife Customer Service may be accessed by telephone: 1-800-438-8285 (U.S. and Canada); 1-770-419-3355 (International); 1-770-590-3753 (International fax); E-mail: customerservice@cryolife.com
For additional information about the Company, visit CryoLife's web site: http://www.cryolife.com
CONTACT: CryoLife, Inc.
Roy Vogeltanz, 800/438-8285