DANVERS, Mass., June 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Medwave, Inc.
(Nasdaq: MDWV), the innovator in sensor-based, blood pressure measuring solutions, announced today that a study conducted by Helmut Hager, M.D. et al. at the Washington University Hospital and School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO entitled "Comparison of a New Non-Invasive and the Automated Oscillometric
Blood Pressure Monitor in Obese Patients" has been accepted for presentation at the annual American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) meeting held October 24-26, 2004 in Las Vegas. The study specifically compares the Vasotrac blood pressure monitor, manufactured by Medwave, as well as a common automated blood pressure cuff, to those readings produced by an arterial catheter, considered
the "Gold Standard" for accuracy. The study shows that the measurements obtained from the Vasotrac monitor are more than twice as likely to correlate to the arterial catheter than the measurements obtained from the automated cuff. This study had a patient population with an average Body Mass Index
(BMI) of approximately 66 kg/m2. A Body Mass Index of 25-29.9 is considered overweight, and a level of greater than 30 is considered obese.
With some reports indicating that the obesity problem in the United States is affecting approximately 60% of the adult population as well as a significant number of children, caregivers have reported challenges when attempting to monitor this population of patients. Conventional blood pressure cuffs are not designed to fit the arm of a person who is large. Many times the cuff will fit the patient's arm in regards to circumference, but not fit properly in regards to the patient's arm length, therefore affecting its ability to perform properly. While the "Gold Standard" for blood pressure monitoring is the arterial catheter, the obese patient, by the nature of their size, can present a significant challenge for the clinician when placing the catheter.
Rich Niemczyk, Marketing Manager for Medwave, states: "We are extremely pleased with the results of this study, as once again, the ability of Medwave's technology to monitor a wide range of patients in a wide range of applications has been independently validated in the medical community. Many pieces of technology perform well in normal situations and conditions. The true differentiation is when the technology is asked to perform outside the norm, and this is when Medwave's technology performs so very well. We believe that sensor-based technologies are proving to be much more accurate across
wide spectrums of patients. In addition, they are more flexible in that they can be used in clinical settings and environments where conventional technology simply does not work effectively, such as in the obese patient population."
Medwave, Inc. develops, manufactures, and distributes non-invasive blood pressure products. Its Vasotrax(R) Hand Held Monitor, the Vasotrac(R) APM205A NIBP Monitor, and the MJ23 OEM Module are new approaches to non-invasive blood pressure monitoring. Medwave has received the necessary regulatory clearances to market its technology in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Medwave is
ISO13485/ISO9001/MDD93/42/EEC certified, and all of its products are CE marked. Medwave previously received the Seal of Acceptance from the Alliance of Children's Hospitals, as well as the Frost and Sullivan Market Engineering Award for Technology Innovation. Medwave's technology is installed in over 500 hospitals and clinics worldwide. The company trades on the NASDAQ small cap
market under the symbol MDWV.
Statements made in this release that are stated as expectations, plans, anticipations, prospects or future estimates or which otherwise look forward in time are considered "forward-looking statements" and involve a variety of risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, which are likely to affect the
actual results. The following factors, among others, as well as factors discussed in the Company's filings with the SEC, have affected and, in the future, could affect the Company's actual results: resistance to the acceptance of new medical products, the market acceptance of the Vasotrac(R)
system and other products of the Company, hospital budgeting cycles, the possibility of adverse or negative results or commentary from clinical researchers or other users or evaluators of the Company's products, the Company's success in creating effective distribution channels for its
products, the Company's ability to scale up its manufacturing process, and delays in product development or enhancement or regulatory approval. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual results may vary materially. Medwave(R), Vasotrac(R), and Vasotrax(R) are
trademarks of Medwave, Inc.
SOURCE Medwave, Inc.