Toshiba launches ultrasound's automated cardiac output measurement for better patient care, lower costs.

NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 13, 1996--At the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, Toshiba America Medical Systems Inc. (TAMS) announced the availability of the Automated Cardiac Flow Measurement (ACM) technology for the PowerVision Ultrasound System.

The launch of ACM means that physicians now have faster access to precise cardiac flow measurements, such as stroke volume and cardiac output.

Faster Diagnostic Results and Increased Patient Throughput

The ACM technology provides cardiologists with an automatic, non-invasive, fast and easy-to-operate method for measuring left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT). Providing measurement data within 15 seconds, ACM enables physicians to acquire and interpret cardiac output data more accurately and faster than previously possible using manual measurement tools.

Immediate access to diagnostic information means that physicians are readily able to diagnose and determine appropriate interventions. The quicker, more precise and non-invasive tool for collecting cardiac output information also enables physicians to diagnose and monitor cardiac function more easily and with less stress on the patient.

"Cardiac output provides a direct measurement of how well the heart is functioning. Monitoring cardiac output provides vital information on a patient's physiological state, making it an important contributor to our ability to evaluate critically ill patients as well as patients who have undergone treatment procedures such as angioplasty or open heart surgery," said Dr. Julius Gardin, University of California, Irvine Medical Center.

ACM also offers an important option for high-risk patients who are unable to withstand the physical stress associated with heart catherization. "Recent studies indicate that some patients may be at higher risk for complications from an invasive procedures using Swan-Ganz catheters. Now with ACM, patients can be evaluated non-invasively to obtain the same valuable cardiac output information quickly and without compromising accuracy," said Suzanne Certain, director, Ultrasound Marketing.

In addition, quick access to diagnostic information means that patients may require fewer and less invasive diagnostic evaluations. This in turn means improved patient care, fewer office visits, increased medical staff productivity and greater cost savings in medical expenses -- a significant consideration given the intense pressures imposed on the medical community as a result of managed care.

Pediatric Applications

"ACM has been particularly effective, both experimentally and clinically, for quantification of cardiac shunt flows in congenital heart disease. High quality images made possible with ACM help visualize shunt lesions that are unique to children," said Dr. David Sahn from the Oregon Health Sciences University. "ACM also has enabled us to receive more comprehensive evaluations of vessel flows and it works well with the smallest vessels and high heart rates that we see in pediatric patients," he added.

The information provided by ACM is based on the collection of velocity profiles from a number of frames during left ventricular ejection phase. By adding the velocity profiles, the stroke volume can be calculated.

Cardiac output is then obtained by multiplying stroke volume by heart rate. Using PowerVision, this calculation is automated. In addition, since it uses color Doppler information from a single echo window, it can be integrated into an exam without the requirement of storing interim results.

ACM technology is possible as a result of the extensive computing capabilities on Toshiba's PowerVision Ultrasound System. ACM requires a powerful data processing and analysis capability to function. The PowerVision system has a 32-bit CPU, 16 MB of image memory and Quad Signal Processing (QSP) which collects 4 lines of imaging simultaneously with greater precision for frame rates significantly faster than those of conventional systems, allowing for more accurate hemodynamics.

ACM is now available as an option to the PowerVision System and has a list price of $30,000.

With headquarters in Tustin, Calif., Toshiba America Medical Systems markets, sells, distributes and services diagnostic imaging systems.

In addition to ultrasound, Toshiba's imaging products include CT (computed tomography), MRI, nuclear medicine and both conventional and vascular x-ray systems. Toshiba America MRI Inc., in South San Francisco, is a subsidiary of TAMS and has responsibility for research and development, engineering and manufacturing of diagnostic imaging equipment in the United States.

CONTACT: Toshiba America Medical Systems, Tustin

Kristen Heller, 714/427-3146

E-mail: [e-mail]

or

Catherine M. Eilts, 714/669-4140

E-mail: [e-mail]