Live Transmission of Echocardiography Exams Demonstrates Practical Telediagnosis in Cardiology; Acuson, GTE, Pacific Bell and AT&T to Feed Live Cardiology Telediagnostic Transmission from UCLA to Thousands of Cardiologists at the American Heart Association Meeting.

ANAHEIM, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 13, 1995--In a significant step towards practical contributions to telediagnosis in cardiac care, live transmissions of cardiac ultrasound exams during open-heart surgery are being sent over fiber-optic telecommunications links during the 68th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association (AHA) conference here November 13-16.

Viewers of the telediagnostic transmission, conducted by Acuson Corporation and telecommunications leaders GTE, Pacific Bell and AT&T, will witness open-heart surgical procedures and echocardiography exams demonstrating the ability to link cardiac experts anywhere in the country to the operating room or echo laboratories via telemedicine.

"This represents a new era in the delivery of cardiology medicine in which telediagnosis will dramatically improve access to image quality and patient care, and improve physicians' ability to respond quickly in critical care and surgical situations," explains John Child, M.D., professor of medicine/cardiology at UCLA Medical Center and lead cardiologist in the demonstration.

Many in the field of cardiology are predicting a significant role for telediagnosis in the future. A survey of 100 cardiologists, surgeons and administrators conducted by Acuson at the 1994 AHA meeting revealed that more than 80 percent would incorporate telediagnosis into their practice if it were available. Doctors also predicted telediagnosis will significantly improve the delivery of cardiac medicine.

"For pediatric cardiology, telediagnosis is going to be a very important step toward our future," said Stacy Drant, M.D., director of the non-invasive pediatric echo lab at UCLA Medical Center. "Because pediatric congenital heart disease is less common than heart disease in adults, there are fewer pediatric cardiologists, and most are located in large cities. Telediagnosis will increase the speed of access to these specialists and reduce travel time for the patients. As a result, this maximizes the strengths of the medical community."

This live demonstration shows how physicians can digitally transmit and receive the highest diagnostic quality video and CD-quality audio during live, interactive sessions over a single communication network. Telediagnosis applications are made possible with the broadened availability of high-bandwidth telecommunications infrastructure. The demonstration uses asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and synchronous optical network (SONET) communications technology with AT&T's EMMI(TM) Multimedia Interface. The processed data travels through GTE and Pacific Bell OC-3c (155.5 megabits per second data transmission speed) SONET networks to link UCLA with the AHA conference floor.

The ability to review real-time ultrasound images remotely exhibits practical application of society's growing telecommunications capabilities. During the live transmissions, leading clinical experts at the AHA conference will see the most advanced transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) imaging using Acuson's V5M multiplane TEE transducer, a probe that is positioned in the esophagus directly behind the heart. The TEE approach to cardiac assessment has been increasingly important in echocardiography and to the more than 350,000 patients who undergo heart surgery each year. It provides the clearest window to the heart, and is invaluable for diagnosing and managing a wide range of cardiac functions in surgical and critical patient decisions.

The V5M delivers superior image quality and manipulation through a variety of characteristics, including: higher resolution images by using higher frequency throughout the exam; 7 MHz imaging, which is 40 percent higher in frequency than conventional TEE probes; fundamental image improvements from Acuson's Acoustic Response Technology/Tissue Contrast Resolution (ART/TCR); and a smaller tip size for increased comfort and use in a broader range of patients.

Many studies document the effectiveness of TEE during cardiac surgery, including a recent Baylor University study described by Harold Doerr, M.D., anesthesiologist and study researcher. "In a study of cardiac surgery patients, the use of TEE revealed important diagnostic findings that might otherwise have been missed. Overall, TEE made a significant clinical impact in 19 percent of the cases studied, identifying problems that were corrected during the same surgical session. Clearly, this has helped to avoid post-surgery complications and additional operations."

"Acuson focuses on applying technology to provide clinical solutions in the practice of cardiology," said William Varley, vice president, business operations for cardiology at Acuson. "As the AHA's demonstrations show, the V5M provides doctors with a new level of diagnostic information that can be used to better manage patients in and out of the operating room as well as in and out of the hospital. In the era of managed care, these conclusions translate into improved patient care and greater efficiency in healthcare delivery."

Demonstrations at the Acuson Booth No. 1834 in Hall C, will take place four times daily Monday through Wednesday during the meeting's morning, lunch and afternoon breaks (9:15 a.m., 10:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 3:15 p.m., Nov. 13-15). -0-

Acuson is a registered trademark of Acuson Corporation. -0-

NOTE to Assignment Editors: Video news release, video interviews with Dr. Child, Dr. Drant, and b-roll of UCLA Medical Center and AHA show floor available upon request.

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