PLC Plc Systems,

Medicare Panel Discusses Transmyocardial Revascularization Angina Relief Therapy FRANKLIN, Mass., July 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PLC Systems (AMEX:PLC) reported that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) convened the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee (MCAC) yesterday to review and discuss the evidence and clinical data regarding transmyocardial revascularization (TMR) as it relates to Medicare patients with severe angina. The MCAC is an advisory panel consisting of clinicians and other medical experts which is used to supplement CMS's internal expertise. During the meeting, surgeons representing the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) discussed with the MCAC panel the clinical data, evidence, and personal experiences that support the use of the TMR therapy. "TMR has always enjoyed an active dialogue in the medical community, which fostered the lively discussions at today's meeting," said Mark R. Tauscher, president and CEO of PLC Systems. "We believe that the MCAC process provided valuable information to the Panel, to industry participants and to clinicians. We look forward to working with the medical community in this process to continue to add to the clinical body of evidence that supports the use of TMR for patients suffering from severe angina." Since FDA approval in 1998 and CMS's reimbursement coverage decision in 1999, several well-qualified technical assessment bodies and physician specialty societies have analyzed available TMR data. These organizations have concluded that the evidence favorably supports TMR for certain patients, and/or that TMR provides significant angina relief in certain patients. These assessments or practice guidelines include: -- Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Workforce on Evidence-Based Surgery 2004; -- American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Task Force on Practice Guidelines 2002 (published 2003); -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) Technology Evaluation Center Assessment on TMR as an Adjunct to CABG Surgery for the Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease 2001, reviewed in 2004; -- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Technology Assessment of Percutaneous Myocardial Laser Revascularization and Transmyocardial Laser Revascularization 2004; -- ECRI Technology Assessment Report on Transmyocardial Laser Revascularization (TMR)/ Percutaneous Myocardial Laser Revascularization (PMR) for Treatment of Refractory Angina 2004. PLC Systems is a medical technology company specializing in innovative technologies for the cardiac and vascular markets. Currently, the company is focused on two unique laser therapies for the treatments of severe angina and cardiac arrhythmias. Headquartered in Franklin, Mass., PLC pioneered the CO2 Heart Laser System that cardiac surgeons use to perform CO2 transmyocardial revascularization (TMR) to alleviate symptoms of severe angina. For the cardiac arrhythmia market, PLC is developing a surgical cardiac ablation laser technology, known as the Optimaze. Additional company information can be found at http://www.plcmed.com/. This press release contains "forward-looking" statements. For this purpose, any statements contained in this press release that relate to prospective events or developments are deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Our statements of our objectives are also forward-looking statements. While we may elect to update forward-looking statements in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, even if our estimates change, and you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Actual results could differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of important factors, including we may be unable to successfully develop products under our agreement with Edwards Lifesciences and Edwards may be unsuccessful in distributing these products, operational changes, competitive developments may affect the market for our products, regulatory approval requirements may affect the market for our products, we may be unable to convince health care professionals and third party payers of the medical and economic benefits of the CO2 Heart Lasers and the Optimaze System, and there can be no assurance that all payers will reimburse health care providers who perform TMR procedures or that reimbursement, if provided, will be adequate, and additional risk factors described in our Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, and our other SEC reports. PLC Systems, PLC Medical Systems, PLC and CO2 Heart Laser are trademarks of PLC Systems Inc. Contact: John Jordan Director of Investor Relations 508-541-8800, ext. 145 DATASOURCE: PLC Systems CONTACT: John Jordan, Director of Investor Relations of PLC Systems, +1- 508-541-8800, ext. 145 Web site: http://www.plcmed.com/

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