WCTF.org Transplant News

PHILADELPHIA, April 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE:THC) announced today that both of its Philadelphia hospitals, Hahnemann University Hospital and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, have been selected to the company's 2008 Circle of Excellence.

The Circle of Excellence honors those Tenet hospitals that have performed at the highest levels in the past year in the areas of quality, service and operation performance. Key factors involved in the process include patient, physician and employee satisfaction scores, clinical quality scores and financial performance.

"The hard work and dedication of the employees at Hahnemann University Hospital and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children made 2007 a great year for both of the hospitals," said Stephen Newman, M.D., Tenet's chief operating officer. "I'm proud of all that they accomplished and am thrilled to honor them with Tenet's Circle of Excellence Award."

Dr. Newman also praised the hospital executive teams, led by Chief Executive Officer Mike Halter at Hahnemann and Chief Executive Officer Bernadette Mangan at St. Christopher's, for their hard work and leadership in the past year. "Health care is a business that requires dedication, passion and strong leadership skills to achieve positive results. The executive teams, employees and vitally important medical staff at Hahnemann and St. Christopher's performed incredibly well in 2007, and I congratulate them on their successes."

At Hahnemann, Halter, Chief Operating Officer James Burke, Chief Financial Officer Brian Reilly and Chief Nursing Officer Stephanie Connors helped lead the hospital to achieve the highest overall score of all Tenet hospitals on balanced scorecard metrics, which measure quality, patient, employee and physician satisfaction.

At St. Christopher's, Mangan, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Snyder, Chief Financial Officer Gil Cottle and Chief Nursing Officer Karen Blount helped lead the hospital to high balanced scorecard metrics for quality and high scores for patient satisfaction. The hospital ranked among the top five Tenet hospitals on these metrics.

Hahnemann University Hospital is a 540-bed academic medical center at Broad and Vine Streets in Philadelphia, Pa. The hospital is a tertiary care institution that specializes in cardiac services, heart failure and transplantation, OB/GYN, orthopedics, medical, surgical and radiation oncology, bone marrow transplantation, renal dialysis and kidney/pancreas/liver transplantation. Hahnemann has been named by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation's top fifty hospitals for heart care and is also recognized by the American Heart Association as a leader in coronary artery disease and heart failure treatments. The hospital performed one of the city's first kidney transplants in 1963 and one of the first bone marrow transplants in 1976. Hahnemann became Philadelphia's first Level I Regional Resource Trauma Center for adults in 1986, and since then has been served by MidAtlantic MedEvac, an aeromedical transport program for critically ill patients. Hahnemann is proud to be the first hospital in Philadelphia to join with The Wellness Community of Philadelphia to offer onsite support and education services to cancer patients and their families. Hahnemann is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation's oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. An affiliate of Drexel University College of Medicine, Hahnemann University Hospital is part of Tenet Pennsylvania, which also includes St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. To learn more about Hahnemann, visit www.hahnemannhospital.com/.

St. Christopher's Hospital for Children is a 170-bed pediatric hospital located at 3601 A Street in Philadelphia, PA that has an academic affiliation with Drexel University College of Medicine and the Temple University School of Medicine. The hospital provides a wide range of pediatric medical and surgical specialties. With a medical staff of more than 270 pediatric specialists, St. Christopher's is a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center and provides programs such as kidney transplantation, cancer treatment, burn and wound care, minimally invasive surgery, and open heart surgery for the children of the greater Philadelphia area and from around the world. The hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission, the nation's oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.

St. Christopher's Hospital for Children is part of Tenet Healthcare Corporation's Hospitals in the Philadelphia market. To learn more about St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, visit www.stchristophershospital.com/.

Tenet Healthcare Corporation, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates acute care hospitals and related ancillary health care businesses, which include ambulatory surgery centers and diagnostic imaging centers. Tenet is committed to providing high quality care to patients in the communities we serve. Tenet can be found on the World Wide Web at www.tenethealth.com/.

Some of the statements in this release may constitute forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on our current expectations and could be affected by numerous factors and are subject to various risks and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2007, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and periodic reports on Form 8-K. Do not rely on any forward-looking statement, as we cannot predict or control many of the factors that ultimately may affect our ability to achieve the results estimated. We make no promise to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of changes in underlying factors, new information, future events or otherwise.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: St. Christopher's Hospital for Children

CONTACT: Marisa A. Sharkey of St. Christopher's Hospital for Children,
+1-215-427-3888, marisa.sharkey@tenethealth.com; or Coleen Cannon of Hahnemann
University Hospital, +1-215-762-7235, coleen.cannon@tenathealth.com

Web Site:

http://www.hahnemannhospital.com/
http://www.stchristophershospital.com/
http://www.tenethealth.com/

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Profile: Transplant News

ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Terumo Heart, Inc. announced a presentation at the recent ISHLT meeting in Boston. The presentation entitled "Long Term Circulatory Support with the DuraHeart(TM) Mag-Lev Centrifugal LVAS for Advanced Heart Failure Patients Eligible for Transplantation: European Experience" was delivered by Chisato Nojiri, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer for Terumo Heart, Inc.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080303/CLM012 )
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061027/DEF004LOGO )
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The presentation summarized results of 55 patients (33 in the CE-mark trial and 22 after market launch) who were implanted with the DuraHeart(TM) (LVAS) Left Ventricular Assist System between January 2004 and March 2008. The average duration of support was 214 +/- 226 days with a cumulative duration of 32 years. The Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival was 82% at 6 months and 77% at 1 year. Eighteen patients (33%) were transplanted at 181 +/- 135 days. Thirteen patients (24%) were supported > 1 year with the mean support duration of 568 +/- 183 days and 2 were supported > 2 years. Twenty-seven patients (49%) remain on support for 274 +/- 276 (17-1,001) days.

K-M survival at 1 year in the CE-mark trial was 100% in patients < 50 years, 94% in those < 60 years, 80% in those < 65 years, and 67% in those greater than or equal to 65 years. Stroke free survival at 1 and 2 years in the CE-mark trial (33 patients) was 94% for the last 22 patients after implementing a less intensive anticoagulation/anti-platelet regimen. There was no pump mechanical failure, pump thrombosis, or hemolysis throughout the support duration. Dr. Chisato Nojiri commented; "We are very pleased with the long term results of the device and recently reached a major milestone with a patient reaching 1,000 days of support. This patient will reach 3 years on the device on July 4th 2008."

The presentation concluded that the DuraHeart LVAS provides safe and reliable long-term circulatory support with improved survival. High device reliability and a low stroke rate despite less intensive anticoagulation offer easier out-of-hospital management.

The DuraHeart LVAS is a third generation circulatory support device intended to provide cardiac support for patients who are at risk of death due to end-stage left ventricular failure. It is currently the only CE marked implantable LVAS combining a centrifugal pump with magnetic levitation of the impeller, providing exceptional reliability and minimizing the potential for blood damage and thrombus. The DuraHeart LVAS is not available for sale in the United States. As reported previously, Terumo Heart has received conditional approval from the FDA to commence a multicenter pivotal trial in the United States and plans to conduct the first implants at its principal investigational sites in the near future.

Terumo Heart, Inc. is a US subsidiary of Terumo Corporation with headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company's focus is the innovation and introduction of products to improve the quality of healthcare for heart failure patients. Terumo Corporation, located in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading developer, manufacturer and global marketer of a wide array of medical products.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080303/CLM012
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061027/DEF004LOGO
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070227/CLTU043LOGO
AP Archive:

http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Terumo Heart, Inc.

CONTACT: Mark White, Marketing Manager of Terumo Heart, Inc.,
+1-734-741-6262, mark.white@terumomedical.com

Web site:

http://www.terumoheart.com/

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Profile: Transplant News

In Letter to Senate Finance Committee, Taxpayers Union Says Extending Private Coverage for Dialysis Patients from 30 to 60 Months is Key to Improving Care and Generating Taxpayer Savings

WASHINGTON, April 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kidney Care Partners (KCP) - an alliance of patient advocates, dialysis professionals, care providers and manufacturers working together to improve quality of care for individuals with kidney disease and kidney failure - applauded the National Taxpayers Union's (NTU's) April 24 letter to the Senate Finance Committee supporting Medicare policy changes that would extend the period of private insurance coverage for beneficiaries suffering from kidney failure. NTU called these reforms (historically referred to as Medicare Secondary Payer or MSP) an example of a "Common Sense Coverage Reform."

In a nine-page submission to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT), Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Members of the Committee addressing Medicare issues ranging from funding oversight and accountability measures to systemic changes, the NTU called out Patient Coverage Extension (PCE) for patients on dialysis as a "small but sensible step" Congress can undertake to control ballooning Medicare costs and deliver savings to taxpayers, thereby helping avoid unnecessary tax hikes or government bailouts.

Dialysis patients are the only Medicare beneficiaries forced to switch from their private health insurance to Medicare after 30 months of treatment, regardless of their age. Doing so can lead to unnecessary confusion and a lack of treatment options for patients, as well as higher costs for taxpayers covering the rising costs of Medicare. The Bush Administration has recently proposed extending private coverage for ESRD patients from 30 to 60 months.

"Kidney Care Partners is encouraged by the National Taxpayers Union's support of extending private coverage as a reasonable and achievable goal for delivering expanded choice for ESRD patients and recognizable savings for Medicare," said Edward Jones, M.D., Chairman of Kidney Care Partners. "We hope Congress will recognize the importance of enacting this critical reform - which could greatly advance patient care for a portion of the ESRD patient population and deliver more than $1 billion in savings over the next five years to improve the ESRD benefit - as it examines Medicare reform proposals in coming weeks."

Each year, more than 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease and require dialysis or a kidney transplant in order to survive. Today, approximately 485,000 patients in the United States are living with kidney failure, and that number is expected to double in the next decade due to a dramatic rise in diabetes - the number one cause of kidney disease - as well as co-morbid conditions such as high blood pressure and obesity.

According to 2007 Congressional Budget Office data, extending private coverage from 30 to 60 months would save Medicare $1.02 billion over five years and $3.07 billion over 10 years. Extending coverage from 30 to 42 months, as proposed in the 2007 Children's Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act, would save $400 million over five years and $1.2 billion over 10 years. Although NTU opposed the CHAMP Act in its final form, it supports certain provisions of the bill - such as PCE - as being beneficial in controlling Medicare costs.

While some critics of PCE have charged that it would shift greater costs to employers, recent market analyses maintain that only about 3 percent - approximately 8,100 kidney patients nationally - would be affected by the policy. The NTU commentary stated that such a cost shift to employers would not remain for long, if at all, and that "the fiscal pluses to taxpayers would be direct and substantial, and the effect on health insurance costs would be less significant."

"We are pleased with the NTU's recognition of extending private coverage for patients as smart policy, and we look forward to educating additional lawmakers, policy thought leaders, patient advocates and others in the coming weeks about the benefits of this much-needed reform," said Dr. Jones. "On behalf of front-line dialysis professionals, care providers, patient advocates and the patients we serve, we are dedicated to becoming and remaining a resource on this important issue until change is achieved."

About Kidney Care Partners

Kidney Care Partners is an alliance of patient advocates, dialysis professionals, care providers and manufacturers working together to improve quality of care for individuals with kidney disease and kidney failure. For more information, visit www.kidneycarepartners.org.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Kidney Care Partners

CONTACT: Courtney Davis, +1-703-966-1214, for Kidney Care Partners

Web Site:

http://www.kidneycarepartners.org/

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Profile: Transplant News

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Stem cell company, Neuralstem, Inc., (AMEX:CUR) announced today that the European Patent Office has granted Neuralstem a European patent EP0915968, covering the "Isolation, Propagation and Directed Differentiation of Stem Cells from Embryonic and Adult Central Nervous System of Mammals." The European patent has been validated in several European countries including France, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

(Logo:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061221/DCTH007LOGO )

"We are pleased to see our core technology patent validated in these European countries," said Neuralstem CEO, Richard Garr. "We expect this to be the first of many as our entire patent portfolio makes its way through the European process. In allowing this patent, the European Patent Office has now joined with the U.S. Patent Office in rejecting any arguments that the body of Stem Cells Inc. patents and publications, noted in the examinations, in any way prevents Neuralstem's patents from issuing."

About Neuralstem

Neuralstem's patented technology enables, for the first time, the ability to produce neural stem cells of the human brain and spinal cord in commercial quantities, and the ability to control the differentiation of these cells into mature, physiologically relevant human neurons and glia.

Major Central Nervous System diseases targeted by the Company with research programs currently underway include: Ischemic Paraplegia, Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury and ALS. The company's cells have extended the life of rats with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) as reported the journal TRANSPLANTATION, in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University researchers, and also reversed paralysis in rats with Ischemic Spastic Paraplegia, as reported in NEUROSCIENCE on June 29, 2007, in collaboration with researchers at University of California San Diego.

The company has also developed immortalized human neural stem cells for in-vitro use in drug development for the academic and pharmaceutical markets. For further information, please visit http://www.neuralstem.com/.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements in this press release regarding potential applications of Neuralstem's technologies constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, uncertainty of clinical trial results or regulatory approvals or clearances, need for future capital, dependence upon collaborators and maintenance of our intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Additional information on potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in Neuralstem's periodic reports, including the annual report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2007 and subsequent quarterly reports, if any.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: Deanneeagle@aol.com

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061221/DCTH007LOGO
AP Archive:

http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Neuralstem, Inc.

CONTACT: Company, Richard Garr, President of Neuralstem, Inc.,
+1-301-366-4960; Media, Deanne Eagle, of Planet Communications,
+1-917-837-5866, for Neuralstem, Inc.; or Investors, Ira Weingarten,
+1-805-897-1880, or Steve Chizzik, +1-908-688-9111, both of Equity
Communications, for Neuralstem, Inc.

Web site:

http://www.neuralstem.com/

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Profile: Transplant News

NEW YORK, April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- InfuSystem Holdings, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: INHI; INHIW; INHIU), the leading provider of ambulatory infusion pumps and associated clinical services, today announced the appointment of David C. Dreyer and James L. Freddo, M.D. to the board of directors, bringing the total to eight members.

Mr. Dreyer has served as chief financial officer, chief accounting officer and treasurer of AMN Healthcare Services, Inc. (NYSE:AHS) since September 2004. Prior to that, he served as chief financial officer and chief accounting officer of Sicor, Inc., a manufacturer of complex pharmaceuticals with operations in the United States, Italy, Mexico, Lithuania, China and Switzerland, which was acquired by Teva Pharmaceutical Limited. Prior to joining Sicor in 1997, Mr. Dreyer served in related senior financial positions within the pharmaceutical industry for companies such as Elan Corporation plc, Athena Neurosciences and Syntex. Mr. Dreyer holds a Bachelors Degree from Golden Gate University in San Francisco and is a certified public accountant in California.

Dr. Freddo has served as chief medical officer of Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANDS) since July 2006. Prior to joining Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Freddo served as vice president, clinical site head and development site head at Pfizer Global Research and Development, La Jolla. From June 2002 until August 2005, Dr. Freddo served as executive director and site therapeutic area leader for oncology clinical development in La Jolla. While at Pfizer, Dr. Freddo led the team responsible for the registration of Sutent(R) (sunitinib malate), a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January 2006 for the treatment of advanced kidney cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Prior to joining Pfizer, Dr. Freddo held a variety of senior management positions at Wyeth-Ayerst Research from December 1996 until June 2002, including senior director, oncology, senior director, infectious diseases, and senior director, transplantation immunology. Dr. Freddo holds a B.S. degree in Medical Technology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and an M.D. degree from the University of North Carolina, where he also completed his fellowship training.

Mr. Sean McDevitt, chairman of the board, commented, "We are pleased to welcome David and James as the newest members of our board of directors, both of whom share our vision and commitment to improving the lives of cancer patients and helping to build InfuSystem into a world-class provider of ambulatory infusion pumps and associated clinical services for oncology practices and their patients. David has the ideal combination of both financial and healthcare experience, which will make him a valuable addition to our audit committee. James brings extensive medical and clinical experience, which will be an important resource as we accelerate our outreach activities within the healthcare community."

About InfuSystem Holdings, Inc.

InfuSystem is the leading provider of ambulatory infusion pumps and associated clinical services for oncology practices and their patients in the U.S. These pumps allow for the gradual delivery of a drug over a period of days in the privacy of one's home, compared to bolus infusion chemotherapy treatments that are given in a single high dose over a short period of time. Improved efficacy of the drugs, patient comfort, reimbursement to doctors for appropriate services and continuity of care all play a role in the growing trend toward this form of treatment. InfuSystem's pumps are primarily used for colorectal cancer, but they have been approved for other forms of cancer, thereby greatly enhancing the market opportunity for InfuSystem.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include general economic conditions, as well as other risks detailed from time to time in InfuSystem's publicly filed documents.

Source: InfuSystem Holdings, Inc.

CONTACT: David K. Waldman or Klea K. Theoharis, both of Crescendo
Communications, LLC, +1-212-671-1020

Web site:

http://www.infusystem.com/

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Profile: Transplant News