Structural Heart Congress SHC, to Be Held in Astana, Kazakhstan

ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN--(Marketwired - Dec 10, 2015) - HeartStitch©, Inc. Sponsors Structural Heart Congress in Kazakhstan bringing Internationally Renowned Doctors to the first annual SHC congress with a focus on stroke, migraine and other disorders caused by PFO, a structural heart abnormality that affects 27% of the world's population. 

On December 11 - 12, 2015, SHC will hold its inaugural Structural Heart Congress intended to bring internationally renowned interventional cardiologists, neurosurgeons and scientists to Kazakhstan and the adjoining CIS countries. The Congress will focus each year on structural heart disease with an annual focus on specific disease states that are of significant importance. Interventional cardiologists, neurologists, and ultrasound technicians from around Kazakhstan will gather in the National Scientific Cardio Surgery Center in Astana to hear lectures from key physicians and scientists from Germany, the UK, Sweden and the United States. The First International Structural Heart Congress (SHC) sponsored by HeartStitch, Inc., a medical device company leading the way in technology development for structural heart disease, and in association with Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, will Focus this year on Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), a congenital structural tunnel between the left and right atria of the heart that affects approximately 27% of the world's population and is linked to several significant disease states including cryptogenic stroke, transient ischemic attacks (TIA), severe migraine and chronic fatigue syndrome.

The Congress will be held across two-days beginning on Friday the 11^th of December 2015 and running through a full day on Saturday the 12^th with presentations that will focus on identifying cryptogenic stroke patients, the factors that can increase the chance of PFO contributing to stroke, the tests and methods used to identify this group of patients, available therapeutic options and the superiority of one method over another, considering the patient's life style and preference.

During the congress, HeartStitch®, Inc. will present the NobleStitch™ EL PFO closure system developed by Nobles™ Medical Technologies II, which has been successfully performed in several patients in Astana and will introduce this new treatment to the major regions of Kazakhstan.

Dr. Michael Mullen of St. Barts Hospital, London, Dr. Niels Erik-Nielsen of the University Hospital in Linkoping, Sweden and Dr. Saule Kadirova of the National Cardiac Research Center in Astana will present their experiences with the NobleStitch EL in patients. Professor Anthony Nobles, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the West Sachsen Hochschule, Zwickau and HeartStitch CEO and founder, will share experiences and data that show how this ground breaking technology works when compared with other available therapeutic options.

 "After an exciting experience of successful cases performed in Astana in June, HeartStitch, Inc., Nazarbayev University and the National Scientific Cardiac Surgery Center joined forces to hold this event, our goal is to train interventional cardiologists on how to perform the procedure and also to train ultrasound technicians on the available tests used in PFO diagnoses and assessment, creating networks of fully trained and qualified providers who can help improve the life of many patients across the country," Prof. Nobles commented.

"The affiliation with HeartStitch® is part of our commitment to bring the world's latest medical technologies and innovations to help our patients and enrich the academic experience of our staff and students," said Professor Massimo Pignatelli, Dean of Nazarbayev University School of Medicine.

The Congress is expected to be the first of many and to become the regional platform for interventional cardiology innovation in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

About HeartStitch®:

HeartStitch®, Inc. was founded by Prof. Anthony Nobles with the intent of leveraging its technologies in the structural heart marketplace. HeartStitch is focused on the innovative suture-based systems for remotely providing suture repair of structural heart defects and other vascular structures.

The HeartStitch® TA and HeartStitch® MR are FDA cleared for vascular suturing in the United States. The NobleStitch™ EL is FDA cleared for vascular suturing in the United States and CE Marked for cardio-vascular suturing and PFO closure in the European Union.

For more on HeartStitch visit www.HeartStitch.com