IEPR CONFIRMS EFFECTIVENESS OF VASOMEDICAL'S EECP THERAPY.

Vasomedical, Inc. (Nasdaq: VASO) has reported in a recent update analysis of 1,512 patients treated with EECP, more than 80% of those completing a treatment course had improved by at least one angina class. Using the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Classification (CCSC) system to gauge the level of activity needed to provoke angina, it was noted that, whereas 74% of patients began treatment with EECP in CCSC III or IV (severely affected), only 15% remained in this category post-treatment. Over 60% of patients completing treatment had discontinued taking nitroglycerin. In questionnaires to gauge patient perceptions of health status, quality of life and satisfaction with life, 65% of patients reported improvement following treatment with EECP.

"As nearly 74% of patients treated with EECP were considered unsuitable for conventional means of revascularization, these data renew our conviction that in EECP therapy, we have found a remarkable new way to help many patients who otherwise would suffer heavily restricted lives with all that that means for their families and society as a whole," commented Jonathan Jaffe, MD, FACC, chairman of the IEPR Steering Committee.

The International EECP Patient Registry is a study of EECP-treated patients conducted by the Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health to document patient characteristics, record fundamental constituents of safety and efficacy during the treatment period and track long-term outcomes. The IEPR population is confined to consecutive patients receiving Vasomedical's EECP therapy in centers with membership in the IEPR.

EECP has been a covered therapy for Medicare beneficiaries since July 1, 1999. Data from the IEPR in addition to other data generated exclusively with Vasomedical's EECP system were the basis for the Health Care Financing Administration's decision to extend Medicare coverage to external counterpulsation. A special code reflecting a national payment level will be in place to make EECP therapy more readily available to Medicare patients for whom surgical or percutaneous interventions are not an option.

Vasomedical, Inc. (www.vasomedical.com) is primarily engaged in designing, manufacturing, marketing and supporting external counterpulsation systems based on the company's proprietary technology. This system is now in use at major medical institutions, including The Mayo Clinic, the Ochsner Foundation Hospital The Miami Heart Institute, as well as medical centers affiliated with Columbia University, University of Pittsburgh, the University of California San Diego, the University of California San Francisco and the University of Virginia. The company provides hospitals, clinics and private practices EECP equipment, treatment guidance and a staff training and maintenance program to ensure optimal patient outcomes.

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