Sydney, April 3, 2008 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Leading Australian developer and manufacturer of prosthetic implants and medical devices, Advanced Surgical Design and Manufacture Limited (ASX: AMT) announces that this Thursday's episode of Catalyst (ABC TV) will feature the Limb Saving clinical trial currently being undertaken by AllVascular Pty Ltd and utilising the PAD access device developed with Advanced Surgical and exclusively manufactured by Advanced Surgical.

Catalyst is an ABC TV science program that covers a mixture of Australian and international stories, from science breakthroughs investigating the implications, the ethics, and the politics of the particular issue, to stories about how scientists work in the field. The program is broadcast at 8pm each Thursday.

The HELP trial (Hypertensive Extracorporeal Limb Perfusion) is evaluating this revolutionary, breakthrough treatment, developed by Dr Rodney Lane of AllVascular, which promises to restore circulation to many of the 340,000 legs, in the Western World, otherwise amputated each year due to gangrene as a result of peripheral arterial disease. This is a late stage treatment where there is no other alternative but limb amputation.

This treatment utilises the PAD, a device developed by AllVascular and Advanced Surgical, to gain access to the patient's major arteries. Advanced Surgical has the exclusive manufacturing rights for the PAD and is assisting in the conduct of the clinical trial.

Advanced Surgical announced in February that the tenth Peripheral Access Device (PAD) was implanted in a patient as part of the trial.

According to Advanced Surgical, Managing Director, Dr Greg Roger, "Broader trialling of the HELP treatment and the PAD is expected following the presentation of the treatment to a group of international vascular surgeons in Europe last month."

ABOUT THE PERIPHERAL ACCESS DEVICE

Advanced Surgical has the exclusive worldwide manufacturing rights to the Peripheral Access Device (PAD), which aims to improve the lives of patients suffering vascular insufficiency, or Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD). In the western world alone, more than 300,000 legs are amputated each year due to PVD, primarily caused by smoking and diabetes.

The PAD, which was designed and engineered by Advanced Surgical, enables the delivery of a unique treatment, developed by a leading vascular surgeon, in affected patients. Advanced Surgical worked with the surgeon in developing the device through bench testing, animal testing and now human trials.

This treatment is novel and meets a need, particularly for those with the advanced stage of the disease. The key to this device is the ability to access the patient's arteries at large diameter, intermittently, with the device remaining implanted until after the course of treatments is complete. Between treatment sessions the device is sealed and it is envisaged that the patient will be able to stay at home.

Contact

Dr Greg Roger
Managing Director
Advanced Surgical Design
& Manufacture Limited
T: 61 2 9439 4448


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