CardioDynamics Announces Two Significant Studies Demonstrating Diagnostic and Predictive Value of Impedance Cardiography at 6th Annual Heart Failure Society of America Meeting.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

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SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept 24, 2002

Educational Symposium Highlights ICG's Role in Heart Failure Treatment

CardioDynamics (Nasdaq:CDIC), the innovator and leader of Impedance Cardiography (ICG) technology and manufacturer of BioZ(R) noninvasive digital cardiac function monitoring systems, today announced the results of two significant ICG clinical studies presented at the Sixth Annual Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) Scientific Meeting in Boca Raton, Fla.

The company's ICG parameters were reported to be predictive of cardiac death, hospital re-admission and emergency department visits.

In a 98 patient study conducted by researchers from the San Diego Veterans Administration Healthcare System and University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, results showed BioZ ICG parameters to be determinate in distinguishing and diagnosing the two major types of heart failure, systolic (reduced cardiac contractility) versus diastolic (impaired cardiac relaxation and abnormal ventricular filling). Patients presenting to the emergency department citing shortness of breath (dyspnea) were monitored with the company's BioZ System and a blood test, B-Type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP). The combination of the BioZ's cardiac index (CI) measurement and BNP assisted researchers to better determine the nature of the patient's CHF. The improved classification of CHF aids in the management and treatment, which can be considerably different for systolic versus diastolic heart failure. In addition, the study demonstrated that BioZ parameters and BNP combined were predictive of cardiac death, hospitalization and emergency department visits, which may be helpful in identifying the highest risk heart failure patients.

Alan Maisel, M.D., director of Coronary Care Unit, San Diego Veterans Hospital and the study's lead investigator stated, "While elevated BNP levels in patients presenting with dyspnea can help to diagnose heart failure, BNP levels alone cannot differentiate systolic versus diastolic dysfunction. By combining BNP with CardioDynamics' noninvasive cardiac index measurement, a quicker and more accurate diagnosis of the type of CHF can be made, and the treating physician can more precisely direct treatment at the underlying pathophysiology. In a multivariate model of the BioZ's left cardiac work index, acceleration index and thoracic fluid content parameters and BNP, these two tests demonstrated 80% accuracy in predicting cardiac death, re-admission and emergency department visits within a 90-day period."

In the second study, researchers from Loma Linda University, Redlands, Calif., compared measurements obtained from the BioZ System to echocardiogram measurements in 47 patients with mitral regurgitation to further define ICG derived parameters and their clinical significance. The results of the study concluded that the BioZ's velocity index (VI) and total arterial compliance (TAC) are inter-related measures of myocardial contractility and endothelial integrity, which can be used for assessment, therapy and prognosis of patients with coronary artery disease, heart failure and hypertension.

"We are very pleased with the results of these two significant ICG studies," stated Michael K. Perry, CardioDynamics' chief executive officer. "Each new study plays an important role in educating the medical community on the significance of our ICG technology in cardiac medicine. This clinical research clearly demonstrates the benefits of our ICG technology in improving diagnosis, therapy, patient care and quality of life. We are moving out of the proof of concept phase and into mainstream patient care with a growing number of physicians making the BioZ test the new standard of care in the treatment of cardiovascular disease."

The company also announced that a special Continuing Medical Education Symposium, sponsored by the University of Minnesota is scheduled to take place at the conference on Sept. 25, 2002. The Symposium will be chaired by William T. Abraham, M.D., FACP, FACC, chief of cardiovascular medicine and co-director of Gill Heart Institute, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, and will include a presentation by Clyde W. Yancy, M.D., medical director of Heart Failure/Heart Transplantation, at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center & St. Paul University Hospital, Dallas. The symposium will serve as a means to educate physicians and nurses about noninvasive hemodynamic ICG monitoring methods and their clinical utility in the treatment of heart failure.

About CardioDynamics:

CardioDynamics (Nasdaq:CDIC), the ICG Company, is the innovator and global leader of breakthrough medical technology called Impedance Cardiography (ICG). The company's primary products, the BioZ(R) Systems, are being used by leading physicians around the world to help battle the number one killer of men and women -- cardiovascular disease. Partners include GE Medical Systems Information Technologies, Philips Medical Systems, Spacelabs Medical Systems and Vasomedical. The worldwide market potential for BioZ products is estimated to be $5 billion and an additional $800 million in recurring annual revenue for disposables. For additional information or to request an investor package, refer to the company's Web site at www.cdic.com.

Forward-Looking (Safe Harbor) Statement:

Note: Except for the historical and factual information contained herein, this press release contains forward-looking statements, the accuracy of which are necessarily subject to uncertainties and risks, which include sole dependence on the BioZ product line, and various uncertainties characteristic of companies just emerging from the development stage; as well as other risks detailed in the company's filings with the SEC, including its 2001 Form 10-K. The company does not undertake to update the disclosures contained in this press release.