Thursday May 24, 10:49 am Eastern Time
Press Release
New Study Confirms Broader Role for Vasomedical's EECP Therapy as Primary Treatment for Angina
Data presented at the British Cardiac Society's annual meeting show that candidates for elective bypass surgery or angioplasty respond well to primary treatment with EECP®.
WESTBURY, NY--(BW HealthWire)--May 24, 2001-- Vasomedical, Inc. (Nasdaq: VASO - news) announced today that a study presented at this week's annual meeting of the British Cardiac Society in Manchester, UK May 22-24, 2001 confirms that EECP may be used as an initial treatment strategy for patients suffering from angina or chest pain despite their eligibility for elective bypass surgery or angioplasty and that these patients benefit from primary treatment with EECP in much the same way as their sicker ``no option'' counterparts, most of whom no longer respond to medication or are poor candidates for these invasive procedures.
Commenting on the study, Charles P. Fitzgerald, MD, Medical Director of the Heart Care Clinic in Little Rock, AK and lead author of the study, stated, ``I think what this study bears out is that it is reasonable to use EECP as a primary treatment strategy for patients with coronary artery disease and stable angina, and to reserve invasive revascularization procedures for those who do not respond to EECP. Of course, the amount and duration of benefit as well as the impact on morbidity, mortality and resource utilization versus traditional revascularization still needs to be further investigated.''
The study, presented today in Manchester by Charles P. Fitzgerald, MD and entitled, Primary Utilization to Improve Myocardial Perfusion with Enhanced External Counterpulsation Revascularization (PUMPER) examined 3,037 consecutive patients entered into the International EECP Patient Registry (IEPR) at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology. The study compared 188 patients who had never undergone bypass surgery or angioplasty, but who, at the time of enrollment, were considered good candidates for such procedures, yet chose EECP as their primary revascularization therapy, to a control group of 2,849 patients who had previously undergone coronary bypass or angioplasty and/or were no longer good candidates for such procedures. Prior to treatment with EECP, 60.1% of patients with no prior revascularization were categorized as having class III or IV angina, the two most severe classifications as defined by the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, whose angina scale is an accepted tool for measuring the severity of chest pain. This figure fell to 16% at the end of treatment. In the control group, 81.9 % of patients were categorized as class III or IV prior to treatment. Following treatment this figure fell to 26.4%. The study also showed quality of life improvements in both groups as well as a significant decline in or discontinuation of nitroglycerine use.
According to Douglas A. Goldman, Vice President of Marketing & Business Development for Vasomedical, ``This latest study supports what we at Vasomedical have seen in practices across the United States, namely that cardiologists are offering EECP to patients who have been diagnosed with coronary artery disease, but opt to forgo the more traditional surgical or cath lab-based treatment methods. As routine prescribing of EECP for stable angina patients grows, so will the patient base within our core angina market.''
Another study on EECP also presented at this year's meeting of the British Cardiac Society entitled, ``The Improvements in Exercise Tolerance Post-Enhanced External Counterpulsation in Patients with Chronic Refractory Angina are Related to Diastolic Augmentation'' by lead author Angela S. Brown, MD of the Department of Cardiology at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, Ireland showed a dramatic reduction in angina among the 40 patients studied and a significant improvement in exercise duration. Moreover, among the 30 patients for whom one-year follow-up data were available, there was a significant reduction in the number of in-patient hospital days during the first year following treatment compared to the number of in-patient days in the year prior to beginning EECP treatment (14.5 days v. 7.8 days). This is the first study reporting an economic benefit of EECP to the healthcare system. The data reported in this study provide independent confirmation of benefits of EECP seen in similar studies at the State University of New York at Stony Brook as well as Mayo Clinic.
EECP® is a noninvasive, outpatient therapy for the treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system. The therapy serves to increase circulation in areas of the heart with less than adequate blood supply and may restore systemic vascular function. EECP® is currently indicated for use in patients with stable or unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock. The company is actively engaged in research to determine potential benefits of EECP® therapy in the management of other major vascular disease states, such as congestive heart failure and diabetes.
Vasomedical, Inc. is primarily engaged in designing, manufacturing, marketing and supporting external counter pulsation systems based on the Company's proprietary technology currently indicated for use in cases of angina, cardiogenic shock and acute myocardial infarction. EECP® is a registered trademark for Vasomedical's enhanced external counterpulsation system. This system is now in use at major medical centers, including the Beth Israel Medical Center - New York City, Christ Hospital and Medical Center, the Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, JFK Medical Center-Atlantis, FL, Mayo Clinic, the Miami Heart Institute, the Ochsner Foundation Hospital, the Texas Heart Institute, and University Hospital at UMDNJ/New Jersey Medical School as well as medical centers affiliated with Columbia University, State University of New York at Stony Brook, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of California at San Diego, the University of California at San Francisco, University of Florida at Gainesville, and the University of Virginia. The Company provides hospitals, clinics and private practices with EECP® equipment, treatment guidance and a staff training and maintenance program designed to provide optimal patient outcomes. Additional information is available on the Company's website at www.vasomedical.com.
-0- Except for historical information contained in this release, the matters discussed are forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. When used in this release, words such as ``anticipate,'' ``believe,'' ``estimate,'' ``expect'' and ``intend'' and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company or its management, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of the Company's management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company's management. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: the effect of business and economic conditions; the impact of competitive products and pricing; capacity and supply constraints or difficulties; product development, commercialization or technological difficulties; the regulatory and trade environment; and the risk factors reported from time to time in the Company's SEC reports. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise any forward-looking statements as a result of future events or developments.
