MINNEAPOLIS, May 14, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kips Bay Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq:KIPS), a medical device company focused on manufacturing and commercializing its external saphenous vein support technology, eSVS® Mesh, for use in coronary artery bypass grafting surgery, today announced that Lawrence H. Cohn, M.D. has been engaged as a consultant to provide medical advisory services. "We're excited to have such an accomplished and distinguished heart surgeon join our team as an advisor who can help us in the further development and promotion of our eSVS Mesh for bypass surgery," said Manny Villafaña, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kips Bay Medical.
Dr. Lawrence H. Cohn
Dr. Lawrence H. Cohn has been on the staff of the Brigham and Women's Hospital since 1971. Dr. Cohn has been a Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School since 1980 and in 2000 was awarded the first endowed Chair in Cardiac Surgery at Harvard Medical School, the Virginia and James Hubbard Chair in Cardiac Surgery. He is the past Chair of the Brigham and Women's Physicians Organization. Currently, he serves as Physician Director of Medical Device Technology for Partners HealthCare Systems and is the Chair of the Physician and Scientist Fundraising Group at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. Cohn was awarded an honorary Masters of Medicine from Harvard in 1989 and a Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Paris in 1992. In 2005 he was the recipient of the Paul Dudley White Award, the highest award given by the American Heart Association.
Dr. Cohn's clinical and research interest span the entirety of adult cardiac surgery including reconstructive valve surgery and minimally invasive technology. Dr. Cohn has performed over 10,000 cardiac surgical operations and is a world-renowned expert in the field of valve repair and replacement surgery and minimally invasive heart valve surgery. He has published over 440 original scientific articles, 105 book chapters and 12 books, including Cardiac Surgery in the Adult, 2nd and 3rd Editions, the most referenced text book in adult cardiac surgery today. He has given more than 750 lectures worldwide. Dr. Cohn has held or holds office in The American Board of Thoracic Surgery, the American College of Cardiology, and the American Association for Thoracic Surgery of which he was President. He has also been the President of the American College of Chest Physicians and Chairman of the Board of the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, MD. He is immediate Past-President of the Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education. He is a member of 20 other professional organizations, including honorary membership in four international organizations. He has served on the Editorial Board of 14 prestigious journals. He is currently the editor of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, the most referenced Journal in the field of Thoracic Surgery.
Dr. Cohn has trained more than 150 residents and fellows at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Children's Hospital Medical Center Cardiothoracic Residency Program. Graduates of this program occupy responsible positions at major medical centers worldwide, including approximately 30 surgeons who are division chiefs or department chairs.
About Kips Bay Medical
Kips Bay Medical, Inc. is a medical device company focused on manufacturing and commercializing its external saphenous vein support technology, the eSVS Mesh, for use in coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. The eSVS Mesh is designed to be fitted like a sleeve on the outside of saphenous vein grafts, or SVGs, to strengthen SVGs used in coronary artery bypass graft surgery. By strengthening the SVG and preventing the damaging expansion of the vein graft, the Company hopes to reduce or prevent the resulting injury which can lead to SVG failure and potentially costly and complicated re-interventions for patients undergoing CABG surgery. Additional information about Kips Bay is available at the Company's website at www.KipsBayMedical.com.
Contact:
Kips Bay Medical, Inc.
Manny Villafaña, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, +1-763-235-3540
Email: Manny.Villafana@KipsBayMedical.com
or
Scott Kellen, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, +1-763-235-3540
Email: Scott.Kellen@KipsBayMedical.com