nContact Surgical removes 'Surgical' from company name

nContact Surgical, Inc. (nContact), a cardiac ablation device manufacturer, announced today that it is changing the name under which it operates from nContact Surgical, Inc. to nContact, Inc. As the pioneer of interdisciplinary epicardial and endocardial cardiac ablation, the change represents the Company's further evolution towards closed chest approaches to treating common cardiac arrhythmias.  

"nContact's progressive technology and our ability to continuously provide less invasive epicardial ablation options no longer restricts our device to surgeons," said John Funkhouser, CEO of nContact, Inc.  "By removing 'Surgical' from our company name, we are categorically affirming our mission to transform the ablation market and change the dialogue from individual surgical or catheter approaches to interdisciplinary and EP-only approaches that may achieve greater scientific and clinical endpoints."

nContact has consistently enabled the evolution of epicardial ablation procedures that have explored simpler access to the heart while creating complete lesions under direct visibility. Along this pursuit, the Company is credited with pioneering SUBTLE (SUB-thoracic TotaL Endoscopic) access to the heart, which enables a closed chest ablation procedure (without any chest incisions or ports) through a small midline abdominal incision.  The primary proprietary advantage of the procedure, which utilizes nContact's Numeris® Coagulation System with VisiTrax®, is its unique integration of suction, perfusion, and RF-energy to create visible, continuous lesions on a beating heart.

Funkhouser continued, "SUBTLE access is revolutionary in that it offers the first truly minimally invasive, standardized approach to access the posterior of the heart. Yet, as groundbreaking as this is, nContact views this advance as part of an industry progression towards a standalone cardiac ablation market that utilizes combination therapies that access both the epicardial and endocardial surfaces as a means to more effectively treat arrhythmias."

nContact's technology is being developed further to enable a new sub-xyphoid percutaneous approach to the atria and ventricles through a simple needle puncture, a technique that is familiar to EPs. In effect, the Company sees significant opportunity to offer an adaptable epicardial ablation tool that is well-suited to be an essential part of the cardiac EP technology platform.

Kenneth C. Civello, MD, Chief of Electrophysiology at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, remarked, "nContact is uniquely positioned, based on a significant scientific foundation, to demonstrate the importance of epicardial ablation to enhance the performance of existing catheter ablation tools. The combined approach is completely synergistic with the extensive technology platform of EPs, as endocardial ablation remains important, and mapping and navigational diagnostics may predict outcomes."