Miracor Medical Systems GmbH announced today that it has appointed Dr. Werner Braun, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.
Werner Braun has extensive experience from leading medical device companies such as Biotronik, Medtronic and Chiron. In these companies Werner Braun has held key positions in operations, clinical and regulatory affairs and global sales & marketing. He has played a significant role in growing medical device companies from an early-stage into global providers of medical devices in cardiology and has recently retired from operational corporate positions after 32 years of medical device experience. Werner Braun received his Ph.D. in Plasma and Laser Physics from the Technical University in Munich for research work performed at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.
“Dr. Braun has played an integral role in establishing premier multinational medical device companies focused on cardiovascular interventions,” said Jon H. Hoem, Miracor CEO. “We know that his experience and success will help us continue to evolve PICSO® into a standard of care that complements primary PCI procedures,” added Mr. Hoem.
“PICSO® is designed to be a ‘must have’ technology: in spite of a successful coronary angioplasty, deficient myocardial reperfusion still occurs in about one in three STEMI patients, and this failure rate is undeniably correlated with undesirable outcomes for patients,” said Mr. Hoem. “PICSO® is designed to solve this potentially deadly condition by dramatically amplifying the redistribution of blood into the blood-starved myocardium of severe heart attack patients after their primary PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention), and we fully expect that this potentially life-saving benefit of PICSO® will be heartily received by clinicians and patients.”
“I have thoughtfully decided to engage in the board of Miracor because I am convinced that I can help that PCI patients will get access to and benefit from Miracor’s promising PICSO technology which aims at their so far unmet needs.” added Werner Braun.
In addition to Dr. Braun, Miracor’s Board of Directors includes: Hubertus Leonhardt, SHS; Joey Mason, M.D., Delta Partners; Werner Mohl, M.D., Ph.D., inventor of PICSO®, Professor of Cardiac Surgery, Medical University of Vienna; Thom Rasche, Earlybird Venture Partners; and Jon H. Hoem, CEO, Miracor.
The Miracor PICSO® Impulse System, which is CE-marked, is designed to treat acute heart attack STEMI patients following coronary angioplasty. ‘STEMI’ is an acronym meaning ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction. Heart attacks are divided into three types, according to their severity. A STEMI heart attack is the most severe type. In a STEMI heart attack, the coronary artery is completely blocked off by the blood clot, and as a result virtually all the heart muscle being supplied by the affected artery starts to die.