BTE Technologies, Inc. Introduces the PrimusRS; a Revolutionary New High-Performance Rehabilitation System.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

HANOVER, Md. and GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 15, 2004

PrimusRS(TM) Offers Advanced Training and Rehabilitation 

Capabilities to The Industry

BTE Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of software, equipment and services to healthcare providers and the workers compensation industry, announced today that it has introduced the PrimusRS(TM), a new high-performance rehabilitation system.

The advanced PrimusRS is designed for physical therapists, athletic trainers and other exercise specialists seeking advanced training capabilities, interactive software and the ability to objectively measure and document patient performance and progress.

PrimusRS is a computer-controlled rehabilitation system that displays and stores patient input and output during an evaluation or exercise and then uses this information to chart progress over time. The unit is able to support a variety of therapies including orthopaedics, industrial rehabilitation, hand therapy, functional tasks and sports medicine.

With numerous features, the PrimusRS also boasts extensive evaluation and treatment options. Training capabilities include unequal concentric/eccentric, rhythmic stabilization and neuromuscular re-education. Its four resistance modes (passive (CPM), isotonic, isometric, and isokinetic) and ability to measure velocities up to 4500 degrees per second, aids trainers and therapists in the treatment of patients who demand highly functional outcomes, including athletes. The sophisticated cable system lets therapists simulate 3D open and closed chain activities including throwing, swinging, twisting, pulling, kicking and lifting.

"PrimusRS is a novel system that benefits patients, payers, physicians and therapists alike. No other rehabilitation system today presents so many choices and benefits for clinics. PrimusRS improves patient outcomes based on its customization capability; enables better productivity among therapists due to its efficiencies and technology; increases clinic referrals because it is applicable for treating many conditions; and optimizes reimbursement from insurers based on its objective measuring and reporting abilities," said Charles T. Wetherington, president of BTE Technologies' products group.

The PrimusRS' isotonic resistance mode simulates natural muscle behavior and movement. It applies smooth-feeling, consistent resistance throughout the entire range of motion from start to finish versus the traditional isokinetic approach which accommodates the resistance based upon the individual's force output at the beginning and end of the ROM. Providing a consistent resistance throughout ROM strengthens the patient's muscles as they would be strengthened under natural, real world activities. The isotonic mode combined with the ability to measure speeds up to 4500 degrees per second is a combination unique to the PrimusRS.

Ken Johnson, PT, BTE Technologies' director of clinical integration, added: "The PrimusRS enables therapists to be extremely precise when testing physical ability or when choosing an appropriate exercise regimen for patients. By personalizing exercise and treatment protocols, the PrimusRS provides a therapy plan that reaps rapid results effectively and cost efficiently while also helping to prevent re-injury. This unit is incomparable to other rehabilitation products available today, and we have already begun to realize dramatic results among those clinicians using it with their patients."

PrimusRS includes Primal Pictures 3D Interactive Functional Anatomy (IFA) software that animates specific muscle groups and joint actions and allows the therapist to strip away muscle layers to help educate the patient. Each tool and its application within the system is linked directly to the IFA to optimize efficiency and effectiveness of education. PrimusRS charts and reports include peak force, rapid exchange, torque vs. speed, dynamic endurance, real time target force tracking, real time work power output, changes in range of motion and progress comparisons. The total footprint of the PrimusRS is 28" x 60". A positioning chair that attaches to the work head and a package of attachments just for sports therapy are also available. The PrimusRS, which is being marketed to physical therapy and occupational health clinics worldwide, can be purchased or rented.

Baltimore area-based BTE Technologies offers technology-based physical and occupational therapy and rehabilitation solutions for the healthcare industry through its products group. The company's employer payer services group focuses on the provision of employer services and solutions for the workers compensation industry. For more information, please visit www.BTEtech.com.