BOTHELL, WA, February 3, 2003 - Sonosite, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONO), the world leader in hand-carried ultrasound, announced today that the 10,000th Sonosite system has been delivered. This milestone has been met just 39 months after the company shipped its first 5.4 pound, all-digital, hand-carried ultrasound - the Sonosite 180 system.
Sonosite's 10,000th system, the Sonosite 180PLUS, was delivered to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee for use in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Currently, Vanderbilt has five Sonosite hand-carried ultrasound systems throughout its health care facility, specifically in the interventional radiology, radiology, emergency medicine, and ICU departments.
"We purchased our first Sonosite hand-carried ultrasound system in 1999," said Arthur Fleischer, MD, director of Diagnostic Sonography and Women's Imaging at Vanderbilt University. "Immediately, we noticed the impact it had on easing patient scheduling, thus, increasing patient satisfaction. In addition, because they are hand-carried, we can bring Sonosite's products directly to our patients enabling our medical team to make quicker and more informed diagnostic decisions and perform safe and efficient interventional procedures. Since 1999, we've added four additional Sonosite systems throughout our medical facility."
"The installation of our 10,000th product is a significant milestone for the Company because it shows the impact our systems are having throughout health care," said Kevin M. Goodwin, president and CEO of Sonosite, Inc., Bothell, Washington. "Vanderbilt is a leading medical institution and recognized for its high quality radiological ultrasound services. We are pleased that we have attracted repeat purchases and expanded usage by Vanderbilt's clinical staff. We intend to continue our focus on innovation and strong customer satisfaction as a means of growing the company going forward."
Sonosite Systems Have Expanded the Role of Ultrasound
Hand-carried ultrasound is gaining adoption because it enables trained clinicians to immediately obtain information that can help diagnose a patient's condition or guide a delicate procedure. Due to their high quality, ease of use, and mobility, Sonosite systems can more easily be used by a variety of clinicians in lieu of traditional cart-based ultrasound systems. At less than six pounds, Sonosite's hand-carried systems allow clinicians to easily carry ultrasound to a variety of clinical settings -- from an exam room to a patient's bedside to the emergency department.
About Sonosite's Systems
Sonosite offers a full suite of hand-carried visualization solutions: the Sonosite 180PLUS, the SonoHeart ELITE, the iLook 15, and the iLook 25. Sonosite's full-featured, high quality flagship products are the Sonosite 180PLUS, designed for full-body imaging, and the SonoHeart ELITE, designed for cardiac imaging. The iLook 15 is intended for "quick look" diagnostics and the iLook 25 is designed to provide superior visual guidance while performing vascular access procedures.
In addition to Sonosite's dedicated U.S. sales force, the Company has direct operations in the U.K., France, Germany and Spain, as well as strong partnerships with companies around the world, such as with Olympus Optical, Ltd. in Japan.
About Sonosite
Sonosite, Inc. (www.sonosite.com) is the innovator and world leader in hand-carried ultrasound, with an installed base of more than 20,000 systems. The Company, headquartered near Seattle, Washington is represented by eight subsidiaries and a global distribution netwok in over 75 countries. Sonosite's small, lightweight systems are expanding the use of ultrasound across the clinical spectrum by cost-effectively bringing high performance ultrasound to the point of patient care. The Company employs approximately 450 people worldwide.