Upgrade includes new transducers for paediatric cardiology and CW Doppler
DALLAS - November 13, 2005 - Sonosite, Inc. (NASDAQ: SONO), the world leader in hand-carried ultrasound, announced today the addition of new cardiology transducers and other imaging enhancements for its recently introduced, third generation product, the MicroMaxx' system. Existing MicroMaxx systems are compatible with the new capabilities. The company made the announcement at the 2005 American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions in Dallas. The MicroMaxx system, the size of a notebook and weighing less than eight pounds, delivers image resolution and performance comparable to costly, conventional cart-based ultrasound systems weighing over 200 pounds.
This unprecedented power in a hand-carried configuration provides clinicians with unmatched flexibility and efficiency in utilising ultrasound in both hospital and office-based settings. Sonosite announced the addition of two new cardiology transducers to the MicroMaxx system - the P10/8-4 for paediatric cardiology imaging and the D2/2MHz CW Pedof for non-imaging, continuous wave Doppler to provide improved access to obtain peak velocities within the heart. Customer deliveries of the P10/8-4 transducer are scheduled to begin in December and in the first quarter of 2006 for the CW Pedof probe. "For imaging in neonatal and paediatric intensive care units - the smaller, the better," says Achi Ludomirsky, MD, Director of Paediatric Cardiology at St. Louis Children's Hospital and Professor, Washington University School of Medicine. "The size, performance and human engineering of the MicroMaxx provide a definite advantage.
We used the new paediatric cardiac probe to image the hearts of neonates weighing 2400 grams up to toddlers weighing 12 kg. and were pleased with the diagnostic quality of the 2D image and spectral Doppler." The upgrade also includes Pulsed Wave Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) for velocity mapping of cardiac tissue. TDI is offered on the P10 and P17 transducers as well as the system's multiplane transesophageal (TEE/8-3) transducer.
TDI is available immediately and is a software upgrade to existing MicroMaxx systems. Sonosite's MicroMaxx system, which began shipping in mid-June, has received high praise for its excellent image resolution and broad feature set, as well as for its unprecedented five-year warranty. According to Yanick Beaulieu, MD, cardiologist, and Director of Bedside Ultrasound at Hopital Sacre-Coeur de Montreal, the MicroMaxx system has become an essential part of his practise. "Hand-carried ultrasound systems can provide critical diagnostic information at the bedside that is not available by physical examination alone," Dr. Beaulieu says. Dr. Beaulieu recalls how during his cardiac residency his efforts to use big, cart-based ultrasound in critical care departments were stymied by a lack of space.
"With the MicroMaxx," he says, "I can grab it and run to assess a patient in cardiac arrest wherever they may be located in the hospital." Standard cardiology imaging modes on the MicroMaxx system include 2D grayscale, tissue harmonics, M-mode, colour velocity, pulsed wave and CW Doppler. Connectivity is available either via DICOM Worklist, print and store or PC Direct connectivity with SiteLink. MicroMaxx's reliability and durability are backed by a five-year standard warranty on the system and most of its transducers, which is included in the price of the system. Software upgrades are accomplished through a dedicated compact flash upgrade port. Sonosite is exhibiting the MicroMaxx system and its other products in Booth 533 at the AHA meeting being held at the Dallas Convention Centre from November 13 - 16.
About Sonosite
Sonosite, Inc. (www.sonosite.com) is the innovator and world leader in hand-carried ultrasound, with an instaled base of more than 20,000 systems. Headquartered near Seattle, Sonosite is represented by eight subsidiaries and a global distribution network 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 470 people worldwide.
