FRANKLIN, Mass., Sept. 19 -- Cardiac patients who have received carbon dioxide (CO2) transmyocardial revascularization (TMR) using PLC Systems' heart laser are experiencing excellent long-term clinical benefits said a report published in Circulation, the official journal of the American Heart Association. The angina relief benefits are sustained for five years and beyond after the revascularization therapy. The report was based on data from a multicenter, long-term study on the efficacy of CO2 revascularization. "Angina relief from CO2 revascularization continues for five years and beyond," said Dr. Keith Horvath, lead author of the study and assistant professor of surgery at Northwestern University Medical Center. "The CO2 heart laser is the only TMR laser to demonstrate effective, sustained, long-term angina relief to severely debilitated heart patients. Additional studies have demonstrated that the CO2 revascularization therapy promotes an angiogenic response, which is the foundation for the long-term clinical benefits. These results are directly attributable to the favorable interaction between the CO2 laser and the tissue of the heart."