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Major NIH-Funded Study Highlights Potential Clinical Application of AtCor Medical's SphygmoCor(R) System
Demonstrates Central Pulse Pressures Are More Predictive of Cardiovascular Risk
| Source: AtCor Medical Holdings Ltd.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA and LISLE, IL--(Marketwire - June 7, 2007) - AtCor Medical Holdings
Limited (ASX : ACG ), the developer and marketer of the SphygmoCor® system,
which non-invasively measures central blood pressures, today announced that
the Strong Heart Study, a major multi-year study funded by the U.S.
National Institutes of Health, concludes that central blood pressures are
more predictive of future cardiovascular outcomes than traditional brachial
(cuff) blood pressure. The study was published online in the American Heart
Association journal, Hypertension, and will also be featured in the July
2007 print edition.
New clinical data involving 3,520 patients participating in the Strong
Heart Study demonstrated the importance of using central pressures to
identify cardiovascular risk at an earlier stage. Central pulse pressure
measured using AtCor's SphygmoCor system was found to be more predictive of
cardiovascular events than brachial pulse pressure in subjects with and
without pre-existing atherosclerosis. When central and brachial pulse
pressures were taken into account in a multi-variate risk model, brachial
pressures ceased to be statistically significant.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. AtCor's SphygmoCor
system is the only FDA-cleared, non-invasive method to measure central
pressures. Central blood pressure comprises the pressure exerted by the
heart's contraction, plus the added pressure, which is reflected back at
the heart during that heart-beat. This combined pressure, the pressure the
heart pumps against, is increased by arterial stiffening and can be reduced
with lifestyle changes and drug therapies.
Duncan Ross, CEO of AtCor Medical, stated, "The Strong Heart study presents
the most compelling evidence to support use of SphygmoCor since the release
of the Conduit Artery Function Evaluation (CAFE) study results in 2006.
CAFE clearly showed that the respective effects of different drug regimens
on the heart could not be detected by traditional cuff pressure
measurement.
"The conclusions of the Strong Heart study are clear," continued Ross,
"central blood pressures are a better clinical tool for predicting
cardiovascular outcomes than brachial pressures. These results will
increase the rapid adoption we are seeing in the use of SphygmoCor in drug
trials -- and will encourage the expanded use of SphygmoCor in post-market
surveillance and clinical practice, to more accurately identify patients'
cardiovascular risk."
More than 1,000 SphygmoCor systems are currently in use worldwide at major
medical institutions and in various clinical trials with leading
pharmaceutical companies.
The Hypertension article can be downloaded from:
http://hyper.ahajournals.org.
About AtCor Medical
AtCor Medical develops and markets products for the early detection and
management of cardiovascular disease. More than 1,000 SphygmoCor systems
are currently in use worldwide at major medical institutions research
institutions and in various clinical trials with leading pharmaceutical
companies. AtCor has operations in Australia, the United States, and
Europe. For further information, please visit our web site at
www.atcormedical.com.