MAS News...

ITC’s HEMOCHRON Coagulation Devices Join
the RALS-Plus Menu

Charlottesville, VA – August 31, 2001 – International Technidyne Corporation (ITC; Edison, NJ) and Medical Automation Systems, Inc. (MAS; Charlottesville, VA) announce the integration of the HEMOCHRON Response, HEMOCHRON Jr. Signature and HEMOCHRON 8000 into the RALS-Plus Information Management System for point-of-care testing. 

HEMOCHRON systems are designed to perform sophisticated coagulation monitoring at the point-of-care.  These systems are used to manage the effects of anticoagulant drugs such as heparin, the world's most frequently used anticoagulant.  HEMOCHRON is also used in the diagnosis of bleeding, especially post-operative that is common after bypass surgery.

The HEMOCHRON Response uses whole blood to perform coagulation tests such as ACT, PT, APTT, thrombin time and fibrinogen. It includes an easy-to-read screen, and operator and QC lockouts which can be enabled for enhanced regulatory compliance.  The HEMOCHRON Jr. Signature Microcoagulation System performs rapid and accurate ACT, APTT and PT tests within minutes using only one drop of whole blood.  Both systems can identify, store, date and time stamp test results, and print both patient and quality control test results.  Both systems offer liquid and Electronic Quality Control (EQC).

RALS-Plus is a vendor-independent information management system, that manages the data from POCT devices throughout a hospital or health system.  The consistent look and feel of each RALS-Plus screen, independent of device, enhances usability and reduces training and support issues.  The ITC/MAS integration effort will incorporate  the HEMOCHRON products into RALS-Plus.

“In our efforts to be a vendor-independent information management solution for POCT, the addition of the HEMOCHRON line of devices to our RALS-Plus technology is a major achievement,” says Greg Menke, chief executive officer and president of Medical Automation Systems.  “ITC has been the leader in coagulation instrumentation for nearly 30 years and the HEMOCHRON product line has continued to evolve over the years.  As the demand for point-of-care coagulation testing continues to increase, ITC has responded with more sophisticated, yet easy to use technology and a broad range of coagulation test menus,” he continued. 

“We are extremely pleased to offer our HEMOCHRON customers the added flexibility and LIS connectivity features of the RALS-Plus System” says Larry Cohen, president of International Technidyne Corporation.  “This additional functionality will help meet our customers’ needs for information management, and we are proud to be working with MAS.”

Medical Automation Systems (www.medicalautomation.com/) is the leading supplier of information management systems for point-of-care testing with over 350 installations and 10,000+ connected devices throughout the U.S. and Canada.  The company's flagship product is RALS®-Plus (Remote Automated Laboratory Systems), a multi-instrument, vendor-independent information management system for POCT.  MAS products include RALS®-LIS, a standalone connectivity solution that simplifies the LIS/HIS order and result entry process, including automatic patient verification via the RALS®-ADT capability.  RALS-LIS uses Direct (EDI) HL7, Terminal Emulation (Scripted) and Windows™ Interfacing methods, is compatible with all major LIS vendors as well as the company's RALS®-Plus vendor-neutral information management system.  MAS is a charter and founding member of the Connectivity Industry Consortium (CIC) which ensures that RALS products will always reflect the latest in industry standards.  The company is privately held and is based in Charlottesville, Virginia.