Name Change for Cardica

Cardica Inc., manufacturer of the smallest-profile and most maneuverable articulating surgical stapling platform on the market for minimally invasive surgery, has changed its name to Dextera Surgical Inc. The company’s Nasdaq ticker symbol also changed, with its common stock to trading under the new ticker symbol “DXTR,” effective June 22.
 
The new name reflects an evolution for the device company. Dextera’s MicroCutter surgical stapling technology portfolio enables the advancement of minimally invasive and robotic-assisted surgery across a wide variety of clinical applications, broadening the company’s focus beyond its anastomotic product lines originally introduced for use in cardiac surgery.

Watch the video below to learn more about Dextera’s MicroCutter surgical stapling technology:


 
“Today, we are helping to advance minimally invasive surgery around the world, with products that are helping surgeons operate more effectively in tight spaces through smaller incisions,” said Julian Nikolchev, president and CEO of Dextera. “Our newest technology is making an impact for patients in lung surgery, pediatric procedures and beyond, and the strategic focus of our business has expanded much further than the cardiac products for which our company was originally named. With a new management team and a clear vision forward, we’ve evolved as a company, and we think it’s time our name did too.”

Nikolchev posted a letter on the company’s website explaining the name change:
 
“We are entering a new and exciting chapter for our growing company. Thirteen years ago, we introduced our first automated anastomosis systems for use in cardiac surgery under our original name, Cardica, which reflected the focus of our business at the time. These products continue to perform well and remain the only automated anastomosis devices for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery on the market today.
 
Today, our company has built on that heritage of innovation with a broader portfolio of products that are helping to advance minimally invasive surgery around the world. Our newest technology, the MicroCutter 5/80 stapler, is the smallest and most maneuverable surgical stapling device on the market today, and is making an impact for patients across a wide variety of clinical applications – from lung surgery to pediatric procedures and beyond.
 
We have a new management team in place, a broadened focus and a clear vision forward.  We have evolved as a company and we thought it was time our name did too.
 
We have been planning for our new brand for months and are thrilled to be able to introduce it to you now. The name Dextera is inspired by the word dexterity, which emphasizes skill, expertise, agility and finesse – qualities we see in our employees, our products and the surgeons who are advancing minimally invasive surgery every day.
 
We are excited about our company’s future and we can’t wait to show you what’s next. Welcome to Dextera Surgical.”
 
Dextera Surgical designs and manufactures proprietary stapling devices that enable the advancement of minimally invasive surgical procedures. In the United States, surgical staplers are routinely used in more than 1 million minimally invasive laparoscopic, video-assisted or robotic-assisted surgical procedures annually.
 
The company’s signature proprietary technology, the MicroCutter 5/80, is the world’s first and only five-millimeter surgical stapler that articulates to 80 degrees in each direction. As the smallest-profile articulating stapler available today, the MicroCutter 5/80 may reduce the amount of dissection and tissue handling required to position the stapler in confined spaces, enabling access to difficult-to-reach anatomy.  The cartridge-based device’s small size and wide articulation range is designed to enhance the surgeon’s access and visualization at the surgical site, and to mitigate limitations on the advancement of minimally invasive surgical approaches created by larger stapling devices.
 
Dextera Surgical also markets the only automated anastomosis devices for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery on the market today: the C-Port Distal Anastomosis Systems and PAS-Port Proximal Anastomosis System. These products are sold by Dextera under the Cardica brand name.