Early-stage device company Dallen Medical announced a 1st-in-man study of its Compressyn band, a breast-plate wire closure device designed to help stabilize patients after open heart surgery.

After the sternum is cracked during open-heart surgery, patients require specialized wires to hold the cavity together. The Compressyn band aims to provide "significant improvements in rigid fixation-with-compression solutions over current devices," according to a Dallen statement.

Three patients have been treated with Dallen’s rigid, "plate-like" fixation and stabilization device, according to the San Clemente, Calif.-based device company.

"We are very pleased with the progress of the Compressyn technology, and believe this milestone moves Dallen closer to the commercial release of the Compressyn Band," company CEO David Mills said in prepared remarks.