MORRISVILLE, N.C.  -- New physician experience for the Convergent Procedure in the treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) was presented during a podium talk at the Northeast Cardiothoracic Surgical Society 20th Annual Meeting held last week in East Madison, NH. William M. Boedefeld II, MD, of CVT Surgical Center in Baton Rouge, LA, reported on 224 patients, 66% of whom had persistent or longstanding persistent AF and 34% who had paroxysmal AF.

At 1-year follow-up, 93% of patients were in sinus rhythm.

"The Convergent Procedure is our first-line treatment for AF patients

with enlarged atria," stated Dr. Boedefeld. "For patients with enlarged

atria where we may anticipate a second procedure with traditional

catheter ablation, even in paroxysmal AF patients, we see the

Convergent Procedure as the best opportunity for single-procedure

results. The key clinical advantage is the ability to electrically

silence the heart's posterior wall, where the majority of AF triggers

are known to reside. We achieve this through a minimally invasive

procedure, under direct visibility. Our electrophysiology partners can

then complete the procedure in the same EP lab setting - our average

total procedure time is 3.95 hours."

The multidisciplinary Convergent Procedure is performed as a single

procedure in the electrophysiology lab. The epicardial lesions are

created first under direct endoscopic visualization by a surgeon,

through a 2 cm incision in the abdomen, with no chest incisions or

ports. The endocardial lesions created by an electrophysiologist ensure

lesion set completeness, and specialized EP mapping and diagnostics

provide the checks and balances to ensure a comprehensive approach.

"The Convergent Procedure addresses the progressive nature of AF," said

Kenneth C. Civello Jr., MD, MPH, of Our Lady of the Lake Regional

Medical Center in Baton Rouge, LA. "Standardized, comprehensive

ablation of the posterior wall can result in reverse remodeling where

the overall atrial volume can be reduced, and function can improve.

This allows us to use the Convergent Procedure for all patients with

enlarged atria. Patients can then be provided customized care within a

long-term Disease Management Program."

About nContact, Inc.

nContact's mission is to transform the underserved arrhythmia market

through the advancement of less invasive ablation alternatives for

cardiac arrhythmias. The Company is conducting the CONVERGE IDE

Clinical Trial, the first head-to-head superiority study to evaluate

the Convergent Procedure to catheter ablation in persistent atrial

fibrillation patients. The Company's lead technology, EPi-Sense(R)

Coagulation System with VisiTrax(R), has CE Mark approval in Europe for

the coagulation of cardiac tissue in the treatment of atrial

fibrillation and atrial flutter. The EPi-Sense Coagulation System with

VisiTrax is indicated for endoscopic coagulation of cardiac tissue in

the U.S. nContact was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in

Morrisville, North Carolina, USA.