vcr + 5.5% - new implant yesterday

VCR 154 +8 +5.5% vol 1,261,462

ASX - Pilot Trial Update - Sixth Implant - 24 June 2004
Thursday June 24th, 2004

Medical investigators today announced the sixth implant of Australia’s ‘artificial heart’ device at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne.

Chief Medical Investigators, Professor Don Esmore and Professor David Kaye, said the operation had gone smoothly and the patient, who was gravely ill and suffering congestive heart failure was now making a good recovery.

“The VentrAssistTM left ventricular assist system (LVAS) is performing as expected,” Professor Esmore said.

It is the sixth implant in a Pilot Trial of the VentrAssistTM to test the safety of the device.

Three patients implanted with the VentrAssist™ LVAS have reached nearly 12 months, 10 months and six months since their implants. Two other patients have passed away.

Under the Pilot Trial protocol, patients eligible to be implanted with the VentrAssist LVAS are gravely ill, are no longer responding to optimal medical therapy and have no other options available to them.

The results of the Pilot Trial will be based on outcomes from all patients. While individual results are very important, it is the accumulation of all data on the safety of the system that will decide the outcome of the Pilot Trial.

For more information, please contact:

Andrew Geddes
Manager, Investor Relations
Ventracor Limited
02 9406 3086