Sunshine Heart hires Jim Breidenstein as Chief Com

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., April 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sunshine Heart, Inc. (NASDAQ: SSH ) announced today that on April 24, 2017, Jim Breidenstein will join the Company as Chief Commercial Officer. In this capacity, Mr. Breidenstein will be responsible for all commercial operations of the Company.

“I am very excited to have someone with Jim’s experience and proven track record of success join the company at this critical stage,” said John Erb, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sunshine Heart. “His extensive leadership and experience in building infrastructures, programs, and processes will be critical to successfully scale our commercial organization.”

Prior to joining Sunshine Heart, Mr. Breidenstein was President and Chief Operating Officer of Surgical Theater, a medical virtual reality software company. Prior to Surgical Theater, Mr. Breidenstein was Senior Vice President of Sales at Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI), a company focused on developing and commercializing innovative solutions for treating peripheral and coronary vascular disease, and Director of Sales at Kyphon, Inc, a startup company specializing in spine surgical instruments that was acquired by Medtronic in 2007. While at CSI and Kyphon, Mr. Breidenstein was instrumental in helping these companies achieve rapid revenue growth and increased market valuation. Mr. Breidenstein earned his B.A. in Business Studies from State University of New York College at Buffalo.

About Sunshine Heart

Sunshine Heart, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSH ) is an early-stage medical device company focused on commercializing the Aquadex FlexFlow® System. The Company's commercial product, the Aquadex system, is indicated for temporary (up to eight hours) ultrafiltration treatment of patients with fluid overload who have failed diuretic therapy, and extended (longer than 8 hours) ultrafiltration treatment of patients with fluid overload who have failed diuretic therapy and require hospitalization. Our objective is to improve the quality of life for patients with heart failure and related conditions. Sunshine Heart is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Minneapolis with wholly owned subsidiaries in Australia and Ireland. The Company has been listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market since February 2012.

Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements that are based on management's beliefs, assumptions, expectations, and information currently available to management. All statements that address future operating performance, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future are forward-looking statements, including without limitation, our ability to execute on our recently announced strategic realignment, our post-market clinical data collection activities, benefits of our products to patients, our expectations with respect to product development and commercialization efforts, our ability to increase market and physician acceptance of our products, potentially competitive product offerings, intellectual property protection, our ability to integrate acquired businesses, our expectations regarding anticipated synergies with and benefits from acquired businesses. The risk factors described in our filings with the SEC could cause actual events to adversely differ from the expectations indicated in these forward-looking statements. Management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made. However, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they speak only as of the date when made. Sunshine Heart does not assume any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Sunshine Heart may not actually achieve the plans, projections or expectations disclosed in forward-looking statements, and actual results, developments or events could differ materially from those disclosed in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, the possibility that regulatory authorities do not accept our application or approve the marketing of our therapy, the possibility we may be unable to raise the funds necessary for the development and commercialization of our therapy and other risks and uncertainties described in our filings with the SEC. We do not assume any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For further information, please contact: Claudia Napal Drayton Chief Financial Officer Sunshine Heart, Inc. T: +1-952-345-4205 Investor Relations Sunshine Heart Inc.