MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, July 28 /PRNewswire/ --

Concentric Medical, Inc., the global leader in devices for clot removal in ischemic stroke patients, today announced the U.S. launch of its "V" series of Merci Retrievers. These new Retrievers, available in multiple configurations and sizes to match patient anatomy, join Concentric Medical's existing Merci Retrievers already on the market, and provide physicians with additional options for restoring blood flow in patients who have suffered ischemic strokes.

The V series Retrievers have been designed to be the most efficient Merci Retrievers yet and are the culmination of Concentric Medical's many years of experience providing neurovascular retrievers for ischemic stroke patients. The distal end of the latest Retriever is tightly coiled, which resists stretching and assists in dislodging clots. The proximal end of the V series Retrievers is more loosely coiled, which facilitates wrapping and holding a dislodged clot. Similar to Concentric Medical's L family of Retrievers, the V series of Merci Retrievers incorporate filaments that provide an additional mechanism for securing blood clots during retrieval from the brain. The V series of Merci Retrievers will be available in diameters of 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 millimeters.

"The Merci Retrieval System(TM) is the most widely used clot retrieval system for ischemic stroke, and we continue to incorporate the knowledge gained from our experience, as well as input from many clinicians, into improved devices," said Maria Sainz, President and CEO of Concentric Medical. "These next generation Retrievers are further evidence of our leadership in bringing exciting and new life-saving options to stroke patients."

The Merci Retriever(R) is made with a flexible, shaped Nitinol wire that allows delivery of the Retriever in linear form using standard catheterization techniques. A neurointerventionalist makes a small puncture in the groin to introduce the Merci Retriever into an artery leading to the brain. The Merci Retriever returns to its original shape when deployed in and around the blood clot in the brain.

About Concentric Medical

Concentric Medical is located in Mountain View, California, and was founded in August 1999. The company manufactures and markets the Merci Retrieval System, which is a minimally invasive device that is delivered by a neurointerventionalist into the brain to restore blood flow by engaging, capturing and removing blood clots that cause ischemic stroke. The Merci Retrieval System is available in over 250 leading stroke centers around the world, and has been the subject of two successful clinical trials, MERCI and Multi MERCI. Concentric Medical estimates that over 8,000 patients have been treated with its devices. For more information about Concentric Medical, please visit http://www.concentric-medical.com.

Media Contact: Andrew Gordon +1-650-810-1701 agordon@concentric-medical.com

Web site: http://www.concentric-medical.com

Andrew Gordon of Concentric Medical, Inc., +1-650-810-1701, agordon@concentric-medical.com