Frost & Sullivan Names Cardiac Science the Medical Devices Entrepreneurial Company of the Year.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 25, 2004

Frost & Sullivan announced Cardiac Science Inc. (Nasdaq:DFIB) as the recipient of the 2004 Medical Devices Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award at last night's Global Excellence in Medical Devices Awards Banquet.

Cardiac Science receives this award in recognition of its determined efforts toward developing safe, innovative, and superior quality automated defibrillators (AEDs) that can effectively treat victims of sudden cardiac arrest.

The company's Powerheart(R) public access defibrillators are aimed at non-medical personnel such as police, firefighters and ordinary citizens whose timely intervention can save persons stricken with a heart attack. The fact that anyone can operate the defibrillator is significant, as survival rates from cardiac arrests decrease about 1 percent per minute that a patient is left untreated by a defibrillation shock, and the national survival rate is merely 5 percent.

Frost & Sullivan's Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award is given annually to an emerging technology company with a vision that has introduced a path-breaking product and subsequently made significant progress despite confronting inherent odds that challenge the growth of small companies.

Recently, Cardiac Science unveiled three new Powerheart(R) AED models -- the AED G3, The AED G4 and The AED G3-Automatic -- for use in corporate, industrial, public access first responder and medical applications. With spoken voice prompts, these automated devices can guide a bystander to help someone survive a cardiac arrest until paramedics arrive. The AEDs constantly monitor the patient's condition to ascertain if any further attention is needed.

Additionally, the patented RescueReady(R) technology used in the Powerheart line of AEDs is capable of self-testing the defibrillator on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis so that potential rescuers will know for certain that the device is capable of performing at all times.

Another key feature of the Powerheart AED line is that it is less complicated than other AED devices, making non-medical personnel more comfortable when using it.

The use of tailor-made materials such as rugged hard plastic and rubber overmolds provides the necessary cushioning while maintaining the aesthetic appearance and durability. The unit's case top is made of translucent plastic that gives the AED G3 a familiar look of a household appliance. In fact, the user can see through the defibrillator cover to check if the electrodes have expired.

Cardiac Science has already sold thousands of the Powerheart AED G3s, accompanied by training and program management services to a variety of corporate clients and government entities. So far, the biggest sale in the government sector has come from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that purchased more than 100 AEDs with a similar number of supporting program management/training suites.

"One of the remarkable achievements of Cardiac Science's AED is that its visibility is not confined to the United States or North America alone, but it is global," says Frost & Sullivan industry analyst Mike Valenti. "The ability of these defibrillators to deliver voice prompts in 27 different languages is the key reason for such extensive visibility across the world," he adds.

Already, Cardiac Science's AED products are available in more than 40 countries, and about 18 percent of its sales are from international markets. This reach is likely to grow further as the company has already launched Powerheart(R) AED G4, targeted at professional markets in the first week of March 2004.

For its innovative strategies and successful development and commercialization of state-of-the-art, user-friendly automatic defibrillators product range, Cardiac Science Inc. is the worthy recipient of Frost & Sullivan's 2004 Medical Devices Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award.

Held in San Francisco, the Frost & Sullivan banquet honored world-class companies for outstanding performance and achievements in the medical devices segment. An annual event, the banquet recognizes the quality and merit of distinguished individuals and companies.

About Cardiac Science Inc.

Located in Irvine, Calif., Cardiac Science Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets Powerheart(R)-brand public-access defibrillators and offers comprehensive AED/CPR training and AED program management services that facilitate successful deployments. The company also manufactures the Powerheart(R) CRM(tm), the only FDA-cleared therapeutic patient monitoring system that instantly and automatically treats hospitalized cardiac patients. Its products are manufactured on a private label basis for other leading medical companies and are marketed in the United States by its 75-person direct sales force and numerous domestic distribution channel partners. The company has also engaged international distributors that take care of sales in more than 50 countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.cardiacscience.com.

About Frost & Sullivan

Founded in 1961, Frost & Sullivan is recognized as a global leader in growth consulting. Frost & Sullivan Awards are presented to companies that demonstrate excellence in their industry, commending the diligence, commitment, and innovative business strategies required to advance in the global marketplace. Frost & Sullivan rigorously analyzes specific criteria to determine award recipients in a vast variety of market industries and landscapes. For further information, visit www.frost.com.