July 15, 2009, Charlottesville, VA and
Edison, NJ
–
International Technidyne Corporation (ITC)
and Medical
Automation Systems, Inc. (MAS) announced that they have
entered into an agreement to add the ITC®
AVOXimeter 4000 CO-oximeter and the AVOXimeter 1000E
oximeters to the RALS®-Plus
point-of-care (POC) data management system developed
and
marketed by MAS.
RALS-Plus will enable users of the AVOXimeter 4000 and
AVOXimeter 1000E to automatically manage, report and
electronically transfer patient CO-oximetry and oximetry
results and data to the RALS-Plus database and the
hospital's laboratory information system.
"ITC has worked with MAS since 2000 with interfacing our
Hemochron®
coagulation devices, and IRMA TRUpoint®
blood analysis system. We are excited to have the
opportunity to add the AVOXimeter CO-oximetry and
oximetry connectivity at the point of care using RALS-Plus,"
said Beth O’Connell, ITC Marketing Director, Hospital
Point-of-Care. "The availability of RALS-Plus will
strengthen ITC's bedside testing solutions, allowing our
customers to more effectively manage and transfer data
wherever testing takes place in the hospital."
“As the industry’s leader in vendor independent data
management systems for point of care, we are very
pleased to add the ITC AVOXimeter devices to the RALS-Plus
family of interfaces,” said Stephanie Shufelt, RALS
Product Manager of MAS. “ITC has always been known for
quality, performance and innovation. These are our
primary strengths as well which ensures that our joint
customers will continue to enjoy all the benefits both
organizations can offer.”
Designed to provide an accurate and timely measurement
during cardiac catheterization procedures, the
AVOXimeter 1000E is a portable, advanced oximeter that
efficiently measures hemodynamic function for a more
comprehensive picture. The AVOXimeter 1000E measures
total hemoglobin concentration, oxyhemoglobin fraction
and computes oxygen content in less than 10 seconds.
The AVOXimeter 4000 is also portable and provides rapid,
accurate assessment of the patient’s true oxygenation
status at the bedside. Whether used in the ER to measure
COHb in the assessment of carbon monoxide toxicity, the
NICU to confirm the presence of methemoglobin as a
result of nitric oxide therapy, or other critical care
applications, the AVOXimeter 4000 offers a comprehensive
test panel providing critical measurements of
information in seconds.
RALS-Plus is a leader in connectivity systems for POCT
and provides users with total control of their program.
At the click of an icon you can view all results that
have been downloaded, display all results that have been
flagged based on setup criteria, electronically manage
all system operators, email weekly and monthly reports
and so much more. In addition, MAS offers RALS-Web,
which enables users to remotely connect to their RALS-Plus
database and access key information from any device
using a computer connected on the hospital network.
About MAS
Medical Automation Systems, Inc. (www.rals.com)
is the country’s premier provider of data management
systems used by hospitals to monitor and manage
diagnostic testing performed at the patient’s bedside.
Founded in 1994, MAS currently has systems running in
over 1,600 U.S. hospitals by the end of 2009. With the
1999 Institute of Medicine report on the impact of
medical errors on patient mortality and cost of care, an
increasing number of hospitals are focused on taking
steps to minimize the number of errors tied to patient
and specimen identification. RALS-Plus provides a
healthcare information technology (IT) solution that can
aid in eliminating sources of bedside diagnostic testing
identification errors cited in the Institute’s report.
Other products include RALS-Web, providing instant
access to POC results through the hospital intranet;
RALS-eQuiz, an on-line training tool with
re-certification quizzes and automatic grading; and the
RALS-Report, a benchmarking service that represents the
largest data repository for hospital blood glucose
measurement in the country. MAS also supports websites
that provide source and reference materials on the
point-of-care industry and glycemic control protocols.
Visit
www.pointofcare.net, and
www.glycemiccontrol.net.
About ITC
ITC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Thoratec Corporation (NASDQ:THOR) and is a world leader
in the fields of hemostasis management and point-of-care
testing with over 40 years of knowledge and experience.
ITC develops, manufactures and markets products in six
distinct categories: HEMOCHRON® point-of-care
coagulation instruments and reagents; IRMA TRUpoint®
Blood Analysis System for blood gas and electrolyte
testing; AVOXimeter® CO-oximetry devices and
cuvettes; skin incision products including Tenderfoot®,
Tenderlett® and Surgicutt®; Hgb
Pro Professional Hemoglobin Testing System®;
and the ProTime® Microcoagulation System for
prothrombin time testing at home and for professional
use. ITC, A-VOX Systems, AVOXimeter, Hemochron, ProTime,
Surgicutt, Tenderlett, Tenderfoot, and IRMA are
registered trademarks of International Technidyne
Corporation.
Many of the preceding paragraphs contain
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section
21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These
statements can be identified by the words, “believes,”
“expects,” “could,” “will,” and other similar words.
Actual results, events or performance could differ
materially from these forward-looking statements based
on a variety of factors, many of which are beyond ITC’s
control. Therefore, readers are cautioned not to put
undue reliance on these statements. Investors are
cautioned that all such statements involve risks and
uncertainties, including risks related to the growth of
existing markets for ITC’s products, customer and
physician acceptance of ITC products, the effects of FDA
regulatory requirements, the effects of changes in
monitoring requirements for medical procedures, the
effects of healthcare reimbursement and coverage
policies, and the effects of price competition
from competitors. Forward-looking statements contained in this
press release should be considered in light of these
factors and those factors discussed from time to time in
Thoratec Corporation’s public reports filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, such as those
discussed under the heading “Risk Factors,” in
Thoratec’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and
quarterly report on Form 10-Q, and as may be updated in
subsequent SEC filings. These forward-looking statements
speak only as of the date hereof. ITC undertakes no
obligation to publicly release the results of any
revisions to these forward-looking statements that may
be made to reflect events or circumstances after the
date hereof, or to reflect the occurrence of
unanticipated events.
