Inlet Medical Inc. Receives Approval to Sell Inlet CloseSure™ Procedure Kit In Canada

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Inlet Medical Inc., a privately held medical device company that develops and markets products for pelvic reconstructive surgery for women, announced today that its Inlet CloseSure™ Procedure Kit has been approved for sale in Canada. The kit is designed to reduce the risk of herniation into trocar ports, a common complication of laparoscopic procedures. The Inlet CloseSure Kit has been available in the United States since October 1998. In Canada, it will be sold through a distributor and is expected to be available by December 2001.

"We are proud to announce our first product approval outside the United States," said Lee Jones, president and CEO of Inlet. "An independent clinical study has shown that Inlet CloseSure is the most effective product for trocar wound closure. We are pleased to be able to introduce this product to the Canadian medical community."

Laparoscopy is a surgical technique used to diagnose and treat a range of abdominal or pelvic problems through small incisions into the abdomen. Herniation can occur if the incisions, made by the trocar instruments, are not fully closed. The kit allows the physician to close the wound in less time, without leaks or other complications. Patient recovery time is reduced and comfort levels are elevated.

About Inlet Medical, Inc.

Inlet Medical, Inc., based in Eden Prairie, MN, is a privately held medical device company that specializes in surgical products for the women's health market. The company has developed and patented the Metra PS® laparoscopic instrument set, which is used for a minimally invasive surgical procedure designed to help women who suffer from pelvic pain associated with a retroverted (tipped) uterus. The company believes more than 2 million women in the United States may benefit from the procedure.