Cardiac Mariners Issued Three Patents for its State-Of-The-Art X-Ray Technology.

LOS GATOS, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Sept. 16, 1997--Cardiac Mariners Inc., a leading developer of state-of-the-art digital x-ray technology, announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted three of the company's recent patent applications.

The patents cover key aspects of Cardiac Mariners' core technologies which include solid-state detectors and a proprietary scanning-beam x-ray source.

The company is developing its technology for use in medical imaging systems. These systems, because of the unique technology, improve the quality of x-ray images by reducing scatter, dramatically reduce radiation to the patient, physician and staff, and provide continuous operation and lower cost of use. The company expects to begin selling its product in 1998.

The first patent granted (U.S. Patent No. 5,610,967) represents an integral part of the technology; a grid device allows multiple x-ray sources to be focused on a single remote detector which results in reduced x-ray exposure to patients and enhanced image quality.

The second patent granted (U.S. Patent No. 5,644,612) covers the way in which the x-ray beam and the detector interface to store data and create an image. By utilizing CZT (cadmium zinc telluride) as the sensor material, Cardiac Mariner's system can generate x-ray beams, measure them, store the information, and generate output values while eliminating scatter which degrades contrast and resolution.

The third patent issued (U.S. Patent No. 5,651,047) covers an x-ray sensor that can be used to determine the position of an object in a 3-D field of view. This unique positioning for x-ray fluoroscopy improves navigation of instruments within the body, a capability particularly important for the fields of interventional cardiology and neuroradiology.

Ron Rankin, president and CEO of Cardiac Mariners, said, "The issuance of these three patents is a continued validation of our industry-changing x-ray technology. Ours is the first source-to-image digital x-ray imaging system which delivers ultra-low-dose fluoroscopy with enhanced imagery." He added, "In our cost-sensitive, managed-care environment, our system will provide clear advantages to both the doctor and the patient while reducing operating costs and x-ray exposure and increasing system flexibility and efficiency."

Conventional x-ray imaging systems use an x-ray point source together with a large area detector. The Cardiac Mariners system uses a large x-ray source and a small solid-state detector. Because the image is generated in much the same way as in a computed tomography device (a CT scanner) the detector is only 1/20th the area of a standard, nine inch image intensifier, or any other solid-state detector that may be developed to replace the image intensifier. There are inherent cost savings in the use of a small detector, and operational efficiencies resulting from the ability to operate the x-ray source at high levels continuously. More importantly, it produces higher quality images at 1/10th the radiation exposure of conventional systems.

In conventional image-intensifier-based systems, scattered radiation from the patient causes a background fog in the image which reduces clarity and increases the radiation required to observe small features in an image. The 20-fold reduction in detector area utilized in the Cardiac Mariners system virtually eliminates unwanted scatter radiation. In addition, the system is totally digital, unlike conventional systems, which must convert images and data from analog to digital.

Cardiac Mariners has previously received FDA 510(K) clearance on its first-generation scanning-beam digital x-ray (SBDX) fluoroscopy system and expects to file an application with the FDA for its enhanced system utilizing solid-state detection technology in Q1 of 1998. The company has been funded by venture capital firms Kleiner, Perkins Caufield and Byers, US Venture Partners, St. Paul Venture Capital, Brentwood Venture Capital, Kline Hawkes & Co. and H&Q Asia Pacific.

CONTACT: Cardiac Mariners Inc.

Ron Rankin, 408/379-6600