The Institute of Critical Care Medicine Develops New Life-Saving Technology to Diagnose Failure of Blood Circulation.

PALM SPRINGS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 3, 1999--

Following more than 10 years of devoted scientific medical research and testing, The Institute of Critical Care Medicine (ICCM) has published the results of its development of a new life-saving technique that, in less than one minute, diagnoses circulation failure and clinical shock in critical emergency medical situations.

In a medical report published as the lead article in the leading journal, "Critical Care Medicine," the results of clinical studies in part performed at the Desert Regional Medical Center are highlighted. The authors of the report include Chief of the Trauma Service, Dr. Frank Ercoli; Chief of the Emergency Department, Dr. Glen Grayman, and critical care specialist Dr. Robert Finegan.

The research team at Palm Springs-based ICCM, is headed by Dr. Max Harry Weil, Distinguished University Professor and President, Dr. Wanchun Tang, Professor and ICCM Vice President, and Professor Jose Bisera, Director of Biomedical Engineering.

The method measures the severity of shock with a device that is slipped under the tongue. The technical term for the device is "sublingual tonometer" -- sublingual because it measures body functions under the tongue.

Dr. Weil said, "This new development, in its simplicity, can be compared to measuring the oral temperature. The sublingual measurement device tells emergency physicians and intensive care unit personnel immediately if insufficient blood is circulated to vital body organs such as the heart and brain."

Dr. Tang stated that the sublingual device is a remarkable, important innovation that provides a road map to guide treatment of patients who come to emergency departments, or, in the unfortunate event of mass casualties when rescuers must rapidly identify the victims in greatest need of immediate treatment. This new device represents a major advance for both civilian and military triage, and is of interest to the United States Army.

The procedure has been licensed by ICCM to Optical Sensors Inc., a medical device manufacturer based in Minneapolis. The device is named "Capno-Probe." It is a hand-held, rugged battery operated device.

Dr. Weil said, "Rapid diagnosis and treatment of shock is vital because it can lead to multiple organ dysfunction which is the most common cause of death in the intensive care unit, with a mortality rate ranging from 50 to 90%. Our research findings and subsequent application in emergency situations prompt us to predict that this measurement will save lives. It also will allow for earlier ICU discharge, an important advantage in an era of high cost medical care."

Research was supported, in part, by the Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, the Mary Pickford Foundation of Beverly Hills, the Rosse Family Charitable Foundation and Mr. & Mrs. Jack Samuelson.

ICCM, established in 1959, developed the first general intensive care unit in the world at the University of Southern California. It is a prize-winning, world-renowned organization known for its pioneering research in life-saving medical care and technology, especially in the fields of circulatory shock and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The Institute is supported by grants and philanthropic donations from foundations, individuals and government.