350907--3/16/2006--THORATEC

related topics

{product, liability, claim}

{customer, product, revenue}

{product, market, service}

{debt, indebtedness, cash}

{operation, international, foreign}

{product, candidate, development}

{control, financial, internal}

{stock, price, share}

{gas, price, oil}

{financial, litigation, operation}

{tax, income, asset}

{property, intellectual, protect}

{stock, price, operating}

{operation, natural, condition}

{personnel, key, retain}

{cost, regulation, environmental}

{acquisition, growth, future}

If hospitals do not conduct Destination Therapy procedures using our VADs, market opportunities for our product will be diminished. Physicians may not accept or continue to accept our current products and products under development. We rely on specialized suppliers for certain components and materials in our products and alternative suppliers may not be available. We may encounter problems manufacturing our products. Identified quality problems can result in substantial costs and write-downs. If we fail to successfully introduce new products, our future growth may suffer. Our inability to protect our proprietary technologies or an infringement of others patents could harm our competitive position. Our future product sales in our Cardiovascular segment will be affected by the number of heart transplants conducted. Our future disposable cuvette test product sales in our ITC segment could be affected by changes in monitoring requirements for medical procedures. Since we depend upon distributors, if we lose a distributor or a distributor fails to perform, our operations may be harmed. If we fail to compete successfully against our existing or potential competitors, our product sales or operating results may be harmed. Our non-U.S. sales present special risks. Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could result in declines in our reported sales and earnings. Certain lawsuits have been filed against us. The long and variable sales and deployment cycles for our VAD systems may cause our product sales and operating results to vary significantly, which increases the risk of an operating loss for any given fiscal period. Since our physician and hospital customers depend on third party reimbursement, if third party payors fail to provide appropriate levels of reimbursement for our products, our results of operations will be harmed. Our debt obligations expose us to risks that could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition. We may be unable to repay or repurchase our convertible notes or our other indebtedness. Conversion of the convertible notes or other future issuances of our stock will dilute the ownership interests of existing shareholders. Amortization of our intangible assets, which represent a significant portion of our total assets, will adversely affect our net income and we may never realize the full value of our intangible assets. Any claims relating to improper handling, storage or disposal of hazardous chemicals and biomaterials could be time consuming and costly. The competition for qualified personnel is particularly intense in our industry. If we are unable to retain or hire key personnel, we may not be able to sustain or grow our business. The price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly. Product liability claims could damage our reputation and hurt our financial results. If we make acquisitions or divestitures, we could encounter difficulties that harm our business. The occurrence of a catastrophic disaster or other similar events could cause damage to our facilities and equipment, which would require us to cease or curtail operations. We have a history of net losses

Full 10-K form ▸

350907--3/16/2006--THORATEC_CORP