SANTA ROSA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Direct Flow Medical®, Inc., a transcatheter heart valve innovator focused on improving patient outcomes, announced the appointment of Randolph Chitwood, MD, as Director of Surgeon Relations. Dr. Chitwood brings to the company more than 30 years of experience in cardiac surgery, with an expertise in complex valvular surgery, including aortic valve, mitral repair, cardiac rhythm and robotic heart procedures.
Dr. Chitwood was most recently emeritus chairman, Department of Surgery at the East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, where he earlier served as director of the East Carolina Heart Institute and founded the institution’s cardiac surgery program and Robotic Surgical Center. He is a past president of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and past president and founding member of the International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery and Society for Heart Valve Disease. He has also served on the editorial boards of several journals, including the Annals of Thoracic Surgery and CHEST, and has authored more than 200 peer reviewed scientific and clinical articles. In 2003, Dr. Chitwood was elected to fellowship in the prestigious Royal College of Surgeons of England. He received his medical degree from the University of Virginia and completed his surgical residency at Duke University Medical Center.
“Dr. Chitwood possesses an impressive pedigree and will play an important role in providing clinical insights that will enable us to continue to evolve our transcatheter valve technology and approach for the benefit of patients and clinicians,” said Direct Flow Chief Executive Officer Bernard Lyons. “His clinical expertise, combined with experiences with the FDA and medical device leaders and emerging companies, will be invaluable as we continue to grow.”
“I am very impressed with the next-generation Direct Flow Medical technology which is designed to achieve precise placement, conform to the valvular anatomy and virtually eliminate paravalvular leaks,” said Dr. Chitwood. “Its unique design provides a universal platform for application in other valvular areas. I look forward to working with the team and their outstanding group of commercial users, clinical investigators and advisors to develop future applications for this remarkable technology.”
About Direct Flow Medical, Inc.
Founded in 2004, Direct Flow Medical, Inc. is focused on developing novel transcatheter heart valve technologies that improve patient outcomes while reducing patient complications. The company is headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, with technology and manufacturing facilities in Lake Forest, California. The Company’s proprietary technology is not limited to aortic valve disease, and is readily applicable to mitral and other heart valve anatomical sites. Direct Flow Medical investors include EDF Ventures, New Leaf Venture Partners, Spray Venture Partners, Foundation Medical Partners, VantagePoint Venture Partners, ePlanet Venture Partners, SV Life Sciences and strategic corporate investors. For further information, please visit the Web site at www.directflowmedical.com.
The Direct Flow Medical Transcatheter Aortic Valve System has not been approved for sale in the USA, Canada or Japan.
Direct Flow Medical and the Direct Flow logo are trademarks of Direct Flow Medical, Inc.
