Sorin Group: Newborn, Teen Receive Life-Saving Heart Surgery at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), the first in the nation
to use the Stockert S5 heart-lung machine from the Sorin Group
(MIL:SRN), has already used the advanced technology to help save
several lives, including a newborn with a congenital heart defect and
a Roswell teen who suffered a traumatic heart injury.

When Berkley Huss, now five weeks old, was diagnosed with
hypoplastic left heart syndrome in utero, Berkley's parents and the
medical team at CHOA prepared for the difficult and complex surgery
required to save her life.

With the support of the new Stockert S5 heart-lung machine - a
highly advanced system that manages the blood circulation to and from
the heart and lungs during heart bypass surgery - Berkley underwent
major surgery shortly after birth. Physicians were able to perform a
complex operation to enlarge the infant's aorta and reconstruct the
pulmonary artery.

"They told me that they needed to stop her heart and that the
thing keeping her alive was a sophisticated heart-lung machine," said
Benjamin Huss, Berkley's father.

Berkley still has two surgeries ahead of her - one at about six
months of age and another at two years of age. For now, her parents
are just counting their blessings.

"Without this technology, many of these children wouldn't have a
chance," said Huss. "It's amazing to have a machine that keeps
children alive while doctors operate. Without this technology, my
daughter would not have survived."

In another remarkable case, 16-year-old Nick Dubernard was injured
during cross country practice at Roswell High School in Roswell, Ga.
While sprinting at full speed, Nick's chest struck a gate that was
closed. The impact ripped open the muscular wall separating his
heart's right and left ventricles, resulting in a traumatic and
life-threatening ventricular septal defect (VSD).

After being rushed to the hospital, CHOA physicians determined
that open heart surgery would be required to correct the severe damage
to Nick's heart. Three days after the frightening accident, Dr. Kirk
Kanter, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Children's, operated on
Nick using the S5 heart-lung machine. The advanced blood-circulating
technology of the S5 proved to be an invaluable component of the
teen's successful surgery.

"Considering the nature of his injury, Nick has made a fantastic
recovery," said Dr. Kanter.

After spending one week in the hospital, Nick was able to return
home to his family. He recently attended his homecoming dance and has
started back to school full-time.

The Stockert S5 heart-lung machine is flexible enough to
accommodate the full range of patient sizes at CHOA - even on the
tiniest of patients like Berkley. The smaller footprint of the S5
allows closer positioning of the system to the patient, providing an
important component to reducing hemodilution. The system also features
acoustically differentiated alarms and detailed information visible on
the high-resolution touch screens to clearly describe the status of
all monitoring functions.

"Our mission at CHOA is to enhance the lives of children through
excellence in patient care, research and education," said Manager of
Perfusion Services at CHOA Kathy Spitzer, CCT, CCP. "This
state-of-the-art S5 equipment, together with our highly trained and
experienced perfusion and surgical staff, allows us to deliver safe,
optimal, quality care to our cardiac patients."

Spitzer explained that the advantages of S5 made the decision to
adopt the technology easy. The S5 is very versatile for a wide range
of circuit sizes, circuit configurations and individual user
preferences. CHOA has used the system on a 2.3 kg newborn as well as
on an 84.5 kg teenage girl with a subaortic membrane. No manual
calibration of the S5 is required, allowing the change from 1/2"
tubing to 3/16" tubing with the touch of a button for patient safety
and reduced hemodilution.

"The Stockert S5 represents a quantum leap in perfusion
technology, and we expect it to help hospitals achieve new industry
standards for safety, functionality, flexibility and quality," said
Jim Trevor, country manager, USA Commercial Operations for Sorin
Group. "We were excited to help Children's Hospital of Atlanta perform
the first few cases in the U.S. - with outstanding results - using
this innovative new system."

About the Sorin Group

Sorin Group (Reuters code: SORN.MI), a world leader in the
development of medical technologies for cardiac surgery, offers
innovative therapies for cardiac rhythm dysfunctions, interventional
cardiology and the treatment of chronic kidney diseases. Sorin Group
includes: Dideco, CarboMedics, COBE Cardiovascular, Stockert,
Mitroflow, ELA Medical, Sorin Biomedica, Bellco and Soludia. Sorin
Group has more than 4,500 employees working at facilities in more than
80 countries throughout the world to serve over 5,000 public and
private treatment centers.

About Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

One of the leading pediatric healthcare systems in the country,
CHOA is a not-for-profit organization that benefits from the generous
philanthropic and volunteer support of our community. Operating three
hospitals with more than half a million patient visits annually,
Children's is recognized for excellence in cancer, cardiac, neonatal,
orthopaedic and transplant services, as well as many other pediatric
specialties. To learn more about Children's Healthcare of Atlanta,
visit our Web site at www.choa.org or call 404-250-KIDS.

www.sorin.com