W.L Gore Pestel Forces

WAYNE, N.J., July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC today announced that it will become the exclusive United States distributor of the INTERGARD family of vascular grafts effective October 1, 2010, when its current distribution agreement with W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. (Gore) expires. Currently, MAQUET distributes the INTERGARD product line outside of the United States in a number of markets around the world. The addition of the INTERGARD grafts will further strengthen MAQUET Cardiovascular's portfolio of vascular grafts, which are used by vascular and cardiovascular surgeons to surgically repair or replace damaged blood vessels, including the aorta.

"MAQUET and Gore have mutually agreed that the transition of the INTERGARD vascular graft product line to MAQUET is the best approach to service customers. We will be working closely with Gore to ensure a smooth transition during this period as we are committed to providing our customers with the best-in-class service and support they have come to know from us," said Bodo Anders, President of MAQUET Cardiovascular's Vascular Interventions Business Unit. "We welcome the addition of the INTERGARD line of vascular grafts into our product portfolio, which includes our signature line of HEMASHIELD vascular grafts, as it allows us to offer surgeons a variety of unique technologies to improve the lives of their vascular patients."

"We continually evaluate the changing healthcare environment and make strategic recommendations about where to focus our business. Upon careful review, we have decided to terminate our distribution agreement with MAQUET for the INTERGARD product line so we can focus our resources on other products," said Kurt Long, Global Sales Leader for Gore. "We will work hand in hand with MAQUET through this transition period to ensure there will be no interruption of service for INTERGARD customers."

MAQUET's Vascular Grafts

Patients with vascular conditions require flexible treatment options, including both traditional open vascular interventions and endovascular therapies. Current research indicates that surgeons use a balance of open and endovascular therapies depending on the patient's needs and condition. Traditional open vascular interventions are often used to repair ruptured, occluded or atypical vessels that have a bend or kink that are not well-served by endovascular options. MAQUET offers clinicians a full range of vascular surgical implants to meet each patient's needs.

MAQUET has long had an innovative approach to developing vascular grafts. Its signature products are the HEMASHIELD line of vascular grafts, used for surgical repair of aneurysms and occluded arteries.

The INTERGARD grafts are manufactured by Intervascular, a fully owned company of MAQUET and a leading worldwide supplier of a full range of polyester, collagen-coated knitted and woven vascular grafts and patches. Since 1987, more than 1 million Intervascular products have been implanted worldwide. The INTERGARD product line that MAQUET will distribute in the United States effective October 1, 2010, includes INTERGARD Knitted and Woven Grafts, INTERGARD UltraThin Grafts, HemaCarotid UltraThin Patches, HemaCarotid Patches, HemaPatch and INTERGARD Heparin Graft.

About MAQUET Cardiovascular

MAQUET Cardiovascular was formed in 2003 and is a leader in providing innovative products for cardiac surgery, vascular intervention and cardiac support to hospitals and clinics and the cardiac surgeons, interventional cardiologists, perfusionists and other healthcare professionals who care for patients with cardiovascular