TITAN Cardiac Features Bring Full Echo Capabilities to Point Of Care
ACC Sessions Address Growing Importance of IMT
ORLANDO - March 4, 2005 €“ Sonosite, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONO), the world leader in hand carried ultrasound, today announced that the Company will highlight the cardiac capabilities of its high performance TITAN ultrasound system, including the new SonoCalc„¢ IMT (Intima Media Thickness) software for assessment of cardiovascular risk, at the 54th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) being held from March 6 - 9, 2005.
"For the first time, IMT capability is now offered on a hand-carried ultrasound system, making it easily affordable and accessible in the physician's office," said Kevin M. Goodwin, Sonosite President and CEO. "IMT has long been recognized by the cardiac research community as an effective indicator of heart disease, particularly in people who are otherwise asymptomatic. The numerous scientific sessions on IMT at this ACC indicate a growing interest in moving this technique from research to everyday clinical diagnostic use."
Sonosite is offering a demonstration of its SonoCalc IMT software in booth #3563 at the ACC Scientific Sessions.
Sonosite is also showcasing the recent expansion of capabilities on its high performance TITAN system for the shared service and dedicated echocardiography markets. Since releasing cardiac capabilities in June 2004, over 25% of TITAN shipments worldwide now include these features. Weighing only 7.7 pounds (3.5 kg.), the TITAN system boots up in less than 12 seconds, is easy to use and can be hand carried to wherever it is needed to immediately deliver patient care efficiently and effectively.
SonoCalc IMT Software
Sonosite's SonoCalc patented automated edge-detection technology provides physicians with the ability to analyze the IMT of a patient's carotid artery and compare it with published population data to generate an individualized cardiovascular health profile report. The software provides fully automated single-click IMT measurement capability, semi-automated, user-guided IMT sketch or trace measurements for difficult images; statistical analysis of multiple IMT measurements; patient-specific exam electronic file management; and professional report generation summarizing one or more IMT examinations for a particular patient.
Over 20 years of clinical research has shown that the arterial wall lining of the carotid arteries, or IMT, can become thickened years before plaque develops within a vessel. This increased wall thickness is associated with an increased risk of a cardiovascular event, such as heart attack or stroke, the leading causes of mortality and disability in the United States today. IMT has been used as an indicator of efficacy in the development of several statin drugs and it is recognized by the FDA as a surrogate marker for measuring the progression of heart disease.
According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the US and affects an estimated 64 million men, women and children. Until recently, measuring cholesterol levels or looking for the presence of C-reactive protein (acute phase proteins whose levels increase when there is inflammation of blood vessels) have been among the few options in evaluating the risk of a cardiovascular event. However, recent studies have shown a 95% correlation between disease present in the carotid arteries and disease present in the coronary arteries, making IMT an important tool for identifying patients at increased risk for cardiovascular disease.
TITAN Cardiology Upgrades
The TITAN 2.2 cardiology upgrade offers full cardiac and vascular calculation packages, pulsed wave and continuous wave Doppler imaging, tissue harmonic imaging, velocity-based color Doppler and M-Mode. Sonosite also enhanced the system's DICOM capabilities with the addition of DICOM Modality Worklist. The 2.3 upgrade announced in November 2004 includes additional features for vascular imaging as well as automated cardiac function quantification (Simpson's Rule).
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 seven subsidiaries and a global distribution network in over 75 countries. Approximately half of its revenues are generated from international markets. 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.
