First Optimizer™ Implant In The State Of Illinois

Midwest Heart Specialists Cardiologists Perform The State’s First Optimizer System Implant-

Naperville, IL, April 11, 2006 – Midwest Heart Specialists electrophysiologist Moeen Saleem, MD, successfully implanted a new experimental cardiac medical device for the treatment of heart failure at Edward Heart Hospital in Naperville, Illinois—the first intervention of its kind to be done in Illinois.

The implant procedure is part of a national study named FIX-HF-5 that is investigating the Optimizer™ a device manufactured by Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc. Midwest Heart Specialists cardiologist Maria Rosa Costanzo, MD, is the principle investigator of the FIX-HF-5 clinical trial currently underway at Midwest Heart Foundation, Lombard. The foundation is one of 40 such national study sites.

The Optimizer™ is designed to deliver electrical impulses to the heart for treatment of moderate to severe heart failure. What sets the Optimizer™ apart from other cardiac implantable devices is its unique function; it makes the heart beat stronger, making it pump more efficiently, rather than simply monitoring and regulating rate and rhythm. In short, the Optimizer™ increases the pumping action of the heart while decreasing the overall workload.

The study is sponsored by Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc., a specialty medical device company located in New York and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Impulse Dynamics N.V.

About Heart Failure

Heart failure is a disease that afflicts over 5 million Americans and an estimated 15 million patients worldwide. It is one of the most common causes of hospitalization and a growing and costly burden to the healthcare system. It is estimated that the U.S. healthcare system will spend a projected $28.9 billion on caring for heart failure patients in 2006.

Symptoms of heart failure occur when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the energy needs of the body. A failing heart most often results from damage to the heart muscle due to injuries such as heart attack, untreated coronary artery disease or persistent high blood pressure. The most common forms of heart failure are treated with drugs and electrical devices such as pacemakers and implanted defibrillators, but if symptoms continue to worsen, other therapies are needed.

About Impulse Dynamics

Impulse Dynamics is focused on the development of electrical therapies for the treatment of heart failure. The company’s proprietary technology stems from a scientific discovery regarding the electrical control of tissue function. Research and development at Impulse Dynamics is focused on refining the principle and practice of modifying tissue properties and function through the predictable and reproducible delivery of electrical signals. Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc., the sponsor of the FIX-HF-5 study, is located in New York.