Cardio Thoracic Systems

CardioThoracic Systems designs, develops, and manufactures surgical products and systems for minimally invasive cardiac surgery. The company's current products are designed to enable most cardiothoracic surgeons to perform MICS (Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery) on a beating heart using their existing skills and company-sponsored training. OPCAB (Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass) and MIDCAB (Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass) procedures eliminate the need for a cardiopulmonary bypass machine. Recent studies indicate that MICS procedures reduce trauma, surgical costs, and postoperative complications compared to conventional CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting) surgery while offering long-term surgical success rates comparable to CABG. CardioThoracic Systems was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California. As of November 15, 1999, CardioThoracic Systems, Inc. was acquired by Guidant Corp.