Cheetah Medical's BIOREACTANCE[R] Noninvasive Hemodynamic Monitoring Technology Found to Be a Promising Early Diagnostic Tool for Identification of Acute Heart Failure in the Emergency Department.

Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University researchers find that orthostatic BIOREACTANCE([R]) Technology protocol is an early, noninvasive tool to help diagnose acute heart failure (AHF) in patients presenting to the emergency department with shortness of breath.

TEL-AVIV, Israel & PORTLAND, Ore. -- Results from the first pilot study of Cheetah Medical's early differential diagnostic protocol for acute heart failure were presented Thursday, May 14th, at the 2009 Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Heart failure exacerbations frequently manifest as shortness of breath, or "dyspnea." Of over 119 million U.S. hospital emergency department visits in 2006, over 3 million were for the chief complaint of shortness of breath. In addition to heart failure, shortness of breath is associated with a variety of other diagnoses involving the lungs, heart and other organs, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, metabolic and psychiatric conditions. Early, correct diagnosis and management is key to improve outcomes while relieving heavy patient burdens in hospital emergency departments.

In this study, the Cheetah Medical NICOM([R]) Noninvasive Cardiac Output & Hemodynamic Monitoring System was able to distinguish heart failure patients from patients diagnosed with COPD, asthma and dyspnea for other reasons. The BIOREACTANCE([R])-based, fully noninvasive, orthostatic hemodynamic monitoring protocol utilizes a set of four skin surface electrodes on the patient's chest or back and monitors during changes in patient position to identify and measure the response of specific hemodynamic variables.

W. Frank Peacock, MD, FACEP, Vice Chair, Emergency Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and the study's Primary Investigator, said: "Outcomes in patients presenting to the emergency department with acute shortness of breath are related to appropriate and timely therapy. When therapy is delayed or inappropriate, the acute mortality rate is increased. Our data suggest that an early and accurate heart failure diagnosis can be determined by measuring orthostatic hemodynamic changes using BIOREACTANCE Technology."

Daniel Burkhoff, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director of Cheetah Medical, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical School and a leading clinical researcher in the field of heart failure added, "This study illustrates the frontline clinical utility of NICOM System BIOREACTANCE Technology noninvasive flow-based hemodynamic monitoring, and the great potential of using dynamic functional hemodynamic testing at the bedside to improve the diagnosis of heart failure. It is easily performed by clinical staff, provides immediate results and is very cost-effective."

About Acute Heart Failure and Its Diagnosis in the Emergency Department

Cardiovascular diseases are the most common reason for hospital admission from the emergency department, and ED visits for symptoms related to heart failure are increasing. Determining the most accurate early diagnosis of heart failure remains a clinical challenge. The best currently available diagnostic laboratory tests and clinical decision-making in the emergency department yield a diagnostic accuracy for acute heart failure of about 82%. Acute heart failure is of increasing U.S. and global concern as it is associated with significant near-term mortality and high healthcare costs. There are over one million annual hospital admissions for heart failure in the U.S. alone, with total national hospital costs exceeding $33 billion. Globally, cardiovascular diseases of all types (CVD) are the leading cause of death worldwide. Initiating the earliest appropriate treatment protocols for acute heart failure can help to reduce patient morbidity and mortality, as well as reduce healthcare costs.

About Cheetah Medical

Cheetah Medical delivers accurate noninvasive cardiac output (CO), noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP), stroke volume variation (SVV), thoracic fluid content (TFC) and other vital hemodynamic monitoring parameters to provide continuous, clinically actionable information for fluid and drug optimization in acute and ambulatory care settings, including intensive care, emergency, perioperative care, dialysis and outpatient cardiology. The NICOM([R]) Noninvasive Cardiac Output & Hemodynamic Monitoring System uses Cheetah Medical's proprietary BIOREACTANCE([R]) Technology, which has validated performance accuracy and faster directional changes compared to invasive CO measurement methods, with less potential costs and risks. Cheetah Medical worldwide headquarters are located in Tel-Aviv, Israel and its United States headquarters are located in Portland, Oregon. For more information, visit our website at http://www.cheetah-medical.com.