Cyberonics Inc has been assigned royalty free rights to United States Patent "US 6,473,644 B1" issued on October 29, 2002 covering a Method to Enhance Cardiac Capillary Growth in Heart Failure Patients. The patent includes 41 claims and provides patent protection for vagus nerve stimulation to increase cardiac output. The primary inventor of the patented method is Reese S. Terry, Jr., Cyberonics' founder and current member of the Company's Board of Directors.

"Congratulations to Reese Terry, Cyberonics' founder, for yet another important method patent protected invention which adds to Cyberonics' VNS Therapy intellectual property franchise," commented Robert P Cummins, Cyberonics' Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Our extensive VNS method patent portfolio provides Cyberonics with patent protected access to many extremely large potential device markets, now including heart failure."