Picard Medical/ SynCardia Highlights Successful Bridge-to-Transplant Case at UCSF Health Using the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart
Rhea-AI Summary
Picard Medical (NYSE American: PMI) announced a clinical milestone: University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) performed a successful heart transplant in a patient previously supported with the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart (STAH).
The 37-year-old was admitted in August 2025, received the STAH, was discharged, and underwent successful transplant about three months later. This was UCSF's fifth STAH implant and signals continued clinical adoption at a leading transplant center.
Positive
- Successful bridge-to-transplant achieved for a 37-year-old patient
- Patient discharged after STAH support and transplanted about three months later
- Fifth SynCardia Total Artificial Heart implant performed at UCSF
Negative
- Single-patient case limits broader clinical evidence and statistical significance
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
PMI fell 4.17% while close peers showed mixed, mostly modest moves (e.g., CTKB +0.57%, LAB -3.6%), indicating a stock-specific reaction rather than a broad medical-device move.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 07 | Conference participation | Positive | +10.4% | JPM week conference participation and investor meeting schedule announcement. |
| Jan 12 | Development collaboration | Positive | -1.2% | Hydrix collaboration to advance the Emperor next‑generation total artificial heart. |
| Jan 13 | Podcast launch | Positive | +4.8% | Cruxx MedTech podcast series focused on SynCardia TAH and Emperor device. |
| Jan 29 | Educational webinar | Positive | +0.0% | DeviceTalks webinar on the Emperor fully implantable total artificial heart. |
| Feb 10 | Conference presentation | Positive | -2.9% | Planned EUMS presentation on in vitro and in vivo Emperor TAH data. |
Recent newsflow has been consistently positive or promotional, with share reactions mixed—some strong upside days but also negative or flat responses, suggesting uneven sensitivity to news.
Over the last two months, Picard Medical has focused on visibility and development of its SynCardia and Emperor total artificial heart platforms. Events included conference participation during JPM week on Jan 7, 2026, a Hydrix development collaboration announced Jan 12, 2026, a Cruxx MedTech podcast launch on Jan 13, 2026, and multiple educational/webinar and conference presentations into early February. Share reactions ranged from a 10.4% gain on the JPM-week conference announcement to declines of 1.19% and 2.89% on other positive updates, showing no consistent directional pattern.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights a tangible clinical milestone: UCSF Health reported its first heart transplant in a patient previously supported by the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart, its fifth implant, with surgery lasting 6 hours and transplant occurring about 3 months later. It underscores adoption at a leading transplant center and complements prior communications around the next‑generation Emperor TAH. Investors may watch for additional case reports, procedural volumes at major centers, and updates on Emperor’s development and regulatory path.
Key Terms
total artificial heart medical
mechanical circulatory support medical
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
- Successful heart transplant case following an implanted SynCardia total artificial heart reported at hospital with one of the largest heart transplant programs in the country -
TUCSON, Ariz., Feb. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Picard Medical, Inc. (NYSE American: PMI) (“Picard” or the “Company”), parent company of SynCardia Systems LLC, maker of the world’s first total artificial heart approved by both the U.S. FDA and Health Canada, today announced that University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Health has successfully performed its first heart transplant in a patient who had previously been supported with the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart, marking an important clinical milestone in the treatment of advanced biventricular heart failure. UCSF Health is the U.S. News & World Report 2025-2026 top-ranked hospital in California.
UCSF announced in a press release yesterday that a 37-year-old patient from California’s Central Valley was admitted to UCSF in August 2025 with end-stage heart failure. Within weeks, surgeons implanted the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart (STAH) manufactured by Picard Medical Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary SynCardia Systems LLC. It was the fifth patient that UCSF Health had implanted with a SynCardia Total Artificial Heart. The six-hour procedure took place at the Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights. The patient was then discharged and three months later, the patient successfully underwent heart transplantation. The announcement stated that the patient continues to recover well and looks forward to returning home to care for his young daughter with renewed strength and health.
The procedures were performed by cardiac surgeon Amy Fiedler, M.D., Surgical Director of the Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support Program, and Jason W. Smith, M.D., Chief of Cardiac Surgery and Lung Transplantation. UCSF has one of the largest heart transplant programs in the country and, in Northern CA, has the only active program that fully implants the mechanical heart.
Patrick NJ Schnegelsberg, Chief Executive Officer of Picard Medical Inc., commented, “This fifth case at UCSF highlights the continued clinical adoption of the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart at leading transplant centers and now has a corresponding successful heart transplantation. For patients in advanced biventricular failure, time is critical. The ability to stabilize and sustain these patients, so that they are also healthy enough for surgery until a suitable donor heart becomes available is central to our mission.”
Picard Medical Inc is also advancing development of the Emperor TAH, a fully implantable next generation device designed to expand access to long-term mechanical circulatory support without the need for external pneumatic drivers.
About UCSF Health
UCSF Health is recognized worldwide for its innovative patient care, reflecting the latest medical knowledge, advanced technologies and pioneering research. It includes the flagship UCSF Medical Center, which is among the nation’s top specialty hospitals, as well as UCSF Benioff Children Hospitals with campuses in San Francisco and Oakland; two community hospitals, UCSF Health Stanyan Hospital and UCSF Health Hyde Hospital; Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital; UCSF Benioff Children Physicians; and the UCSF Faculty Practice. UCSF Health UCSF Medical Center ranks among the country’s top specialty hospitals for adult care, according to U.S. News and World Report, and is best in the San Francisco Metro Area in Cardiology, Heart and Vascular Surgery. UCSF Health excels in numerous complex cardiology procedures and conditions and received the highest rating, High Performing, for aortic valve surgery, as well as specialty care for heart arrhythmias, heart attacks, heart failure, and pacemaker implantation. These hospitals serve as the academic medical center of the University of California, San Francisco, which is world renowned for its graduate level health sciences education and biomedical research. UCSF Health maintains affiliations with hospitals and health organizations throughout the Bay Area. For more information, visit https://ucsfhealth.org.
About Picard Medical and SynCardia
Picard Medical, Inc. is the parent company of SynCardia Systems, LLC (“SynCardia”), the Tucson, Arizona–based leader with the only commercially available total artificial heart technology for patients with end-stage heart failure. SynCardia develops, manufactures, and commercializes the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart (“STAH”), an implantable system that assumes the full functions of a failing or failed human heart. It is the first artificial heart approved by both the FDA and Health Canada, and it remains the only commercially available artificial heart in the United States and Canada. With more than 2,100 implants performed at hospitals across 27 countries, the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart is the most widely used and extensively studied artificial heart in the world.
For additional information about Picard Medical, please visit www.picardmedical.com or review the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.
Contact:
Investors
Eric Ribner
Managing Director
LifeSci Advisors LLC
eric@lifesciadvisors.com
Picard Medical, Inc./SynCardia Systems, LLC
IR@picardmedical.com
General/Media
Brittany Lanza
blanza@syncardia.com
FAQ
What did Picard Medical (PMI) announce on February 12, 2026 about UCSF and the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart?
How many SynCardia Total Artificial Heart implants has UCSF performed as of February 2026?
What timeline did Picard Medical report for the patient supported by the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart at UCSF?
Who performed the procedures in the UCSF SynCardia Total Artificial Heart case mentioned by Picard Medical?
What future device development did Picard Medical mention alongside the UCSF case news?
