WATFORD, England, September 7, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --

Resolute Integrity Stent Launched in the UK

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), announces the CE (Conformite Europeene) mark and international launch of the Resolute Integrity Stent System for the treatment of coronary artery disease, a leading cause of death and poor quality of life.

Now available in the UK, and implanted for the first time in Europe at Southampton General Hospital, the Resolute Integrity Stent System features a novel drug-eluting coronary stent with superior deliverability - the ability of the device to traverse the patient's vasculature and reach the blockage in the heart artery. Based on the engineering advance of continuous sinusoid technology, the Resolute Integrity Stent System has been shown in bench testing and in blinded in vivo physician assessment studies to be significantly more deliverable than the current market-leading alternatives.

Coupled with the MicroTrac delivery system, continuous sinusoid technology improves deliverability without compromising other important stent design characteristics like radial strength. It also improves the stent's conformability - the ability of the stent to conform to the natural shape of the vessel and maintain apposition to the vessel wall after inflation with the balloon catheter.

Medtronic offers a portfolio of bare-metal and drug-eluting stents to address the spectrum of clinical need for patients with coronary artery disease. The Resolute Integrity drug-eluting stent (DES) combines continuous sinusoid technology with two key elements of the original Resolute DES: the cytostatic antiproliferative drug zotarolimus and the highly biocompatible BioLinx polymer.

"The Resolute Integrity Stent System provides superior deliverability and powerful performance for complex daily practice," said Sean Salmon, vice president and general manager of Medtronic's coronary and peripheral division. "It offers physicians a compelling new treatment option for patients with coronary artery disease."

Medtronic is committed to advancing the treatment of cardiovascular disease through collaboration with leading clinicians, researchers and scientists worldwide.

About Medtronic

Medtronic, Inc. (http://www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Minneapolis, is the global leader in medical technology - alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

SOURCE Medtronic Inc.