CytoSorbents (OTC:CTSO) said yesterday that it’s inked a deal with 1 of the top 4 global cardiac surgery companies to examine the use of its CytoSorb cytokine filter during heart surgery.

The deal calls for a 6-month evaluation "to determine various market parameters, to obtain clinical data, and to build key opinion leader support in France" for procedures involving cardiopulmonary bypass, according to a press release.

"Following a successful evaluation, the parties plan to jointly determine how to expand upon both the size and geographic footprint of its partnership," CytoSorbents said in the release.

CytoSorb won CE Mark approval in the European Union in 2011.

The device is designed to filter inflammation-causing substances such as cytokines from the blood, the company said.

"While we are unable to disclose the specific details about the partner at this time, we are pleased to begin working with this top-4 world leader in cardiac surgery. Cardiac surgery is a large and strategically important market opportunity for CytoSorbents. This partnership enables us to work with an organization that has a long history of bringing cutting-edge technology and innovation, like CytoSorb, to the market," CEO Dr. Phillip Chan said in prepared remarks.

Chan told MassDevice.com via email that CytoSorbents counts

Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), Sorin Group (BIT:SRN), Getinge‘s (PINK:GETI B) Maquet subsidiary and Terumo Corp. (TYO:4543) as the top 4 firms in the cardiac surgery space.