-- Lung Surgery Through a Single incision --

Dextera Surgical Inc. (NASDAQ:DXTR), manufacturer of the smallest-profile and most maneuverable articulating surgical stapling platform on the market for minimally invasive surgery, today announced that Joel Dunning, M.D, Consultant Thoracic Surgeon at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, UK, demonstrated how Dextera’s MicroCutter 5/80 helped enable the removal of a lung lobe through a single small incision. The presentation was made at The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS).

“The uniportal approach to lobectomy is quickly building momentum throughout the world as it is much less invasive than traditional open procedures, resulting in faster patient recovery and less pain,” said Dr. Dunning.1 “All VATS procedures, including uniportal lobectomies, are technically challenging given the confined space to maneuver the tools required, particularly the limited and challenging angles of approach to the arteries and veins. By using the MicroCutter 5/80, which articulates up to 80 degrees and has a very small surface area, I am able to successfully complete challenging cases in a less invasive manner.”

The uniportal lobectomy is one form of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) that uses a single two-to-three-inch incision – either between the ribs or below the ribs in the middle of the chest (subxiphoid) or below the ribs on one side (subcostal).

Open surgery utilizes up to an eight-inch incision while traditional VATS lobectomy can require up to five incisions, between individual ribs – a painful location for incisions as there are (intercostal) nerves that run along each rib. By making just one incision between the ribs, the uniportal lobectomy is less invasive and less painful for the patient, which may lead to faster recovery times and shorter hospital stays. Dr. Dunning demonstrated how the MicroCutter 5/80 helps enable both the subxiphoid and subcostal uniportal lobectomy as well as microlobectomy procedures during the conference, featuring videos of the MicroCutter 5/80 stapling on a variety of pulmonary arteries and veins that would have been more difficult with larger conventional staplers.

Currently, there are approximately 140,000 lobectomy procedures performed each year in the U.S., with an estimated 40 percent of those procedures using VATS techniques including uniportal, robotic, and multiple port approaches. Leading thoracic surgeons predict that the adoption of VATS lobectomy will continue to grow as VATS training is integrated into residency and fellowship programs and surgical instrumentation gets smaller and more flexible.

“We are proud that the MicroCutter can help enable Dr. Dunning and other leading thoracic surgeons to accelerate the transition to VATS surgery which benefits patients undergoing these procedures,” commented Liam Burns, Dextera’s vice president of worldwide sales and marketing. “We continue to demonstrate that the MicroCutter is an enabling technology for a wide variety of less invasive thoracic procedures including uniportal lobectomy, microlobectomy, other multiport VATS approaches.”

MicroCutter Indication Information

The MicroCutter 5/80 Stapler is manufactured and cleared for use in the United States for transection and resection in multiple open or minimally invasive urologic, thoracic and pediatric surgical procedures, as well as application for transection, resection and/or creation of anastomoses in the small and large intestine, and the transection of the appendix. The MicroCutter 5/80 may be used with both MicroCutter 30 White Reloads in vascular/thin tissue and MicroCutter 30 Blue Reloads for standard tissue.

About Dextera Surgical

Dextera Surgical (Nasdaq:DXTR) designs and manufactures proprietary stapling devices for minimally invasive surgical procedures. In the U.S., surgical staplers are routinely used in more than one million minimally invasive laparoscopic, video-assisted or robotic-assisted surgical procedures annually.

Dextera Surgical also markets the only automated anastomosis devices for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery on the market today: the C-Port® Distal Anastomosis Systems and PAS-Port® Proximal Anastomosis System. These products, sold by Dextera Surgical under the Cardica brand name, have demonstrated long-term reliable clinical performance for more than a decade.

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements in this press release regarding Dextera Surgical’s expectations for the uniportal lobectomy market and the MicroCutter 5/80’s ability to service that market are "forward-looking statements." There are a number of important factors that could cause Dextera Surgical’s results to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including: surgeon demand for the MicroCutter 5/80 may not be as much as Dextera Surgical expects due to hospital internal policies or other factors beyond Dextera Surgical’s control; and other risks detailed from time to time in Dextera Surgical’s reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2016, under the caption “Risk Factors.” Dextera Surgical expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein. You are encouraged to read Dextera Surgical’s reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available at www.sec.gov.

1 Dunning, J. (2016, October). Microlobectomy, A Novel Form of VATS Lobectomy. Podium presentation at the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, 2016, Barcelona, Spain.

Dextera Surgical Inc.Investors:Bob Newell, 650-331-7133Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officerinvestors@dexterasurgical.comMedia:Jessica Volchok, 310-849-7985jessica@nicoleosmer.com