EXHIBIT 99.1
COMPANY CONTACT:
Bonnie Ortega, Investor Relations
bortega@cardiodynamics.com
888-522-2342, Ext. 1005
CARDIODYNAMICS ANNOUNCES NEW STUDY RESULTS SHOWING ICG IDENTIFIES
PATIENTS AT RISK FOR HEART FAILURE-RELATED EVENTS
COMPANY ALSO ANNOUNCES MEETING OF INVESTIGATORS
FOR UPCOMING PREVENT-HF TRIAL
SAN DIEGO, CA--September 21, 2005--CardioDynamics (Nasdaq: CDIC), the innovator
and leader of Impedance Cardiography (ICG) technology, today announced the
results of an important ICG clinical study at the Ninth Annual Heart Failure
Society of America (HFSA) Scientific Meeting held September 18-20, 2005, in Boca
Raton, Florida.
Researchers from the San Diego Veterans Administration Healthcare System and
University of California, San Diego School of Medicine studied 331 patients
undergoing routine outpatient echocardiography to determine whether the
combination of ICG and BNP (b-type natriuretic peptide) testing provided a
useful strategy to identify high-risk patients likely to develop heart
failure-related events. The patients were followed up to one year for clinical
events (emergency room visits, hospital admissions and cardiac-related deaths).
Patients with left ventricular dysfunction are at a high risk for morbidity and
mortality, and it remains difficult to predict which patients are most likely to
have clinical events. Echocardiography is considered the gold standard for
diagnosis of left ventricular dysfunction, but its cost, physician office
reimbursement restrictions, and dependency on trained technicians limits
availability and prevents its frequent use. The study concluded that ICG and BNP
testing significantly add to the ability to risk stratify and predict future
heart failure-related events. The study is important because it demonstrates the
additive ability of ICG when paired with BNP, a common blood test used in heart
failure, to identify patients with a higher likelihood of future heart failure
events.
Four additional ICG studies were presented at the HFSA Meeting:
o A study utilizing gold standard blood volume analysis (BVA) for
determining the cause of shortness of breath in heart failure patients
was conducted by researchers at Methodist Hospital, San Antonio, Texas
and found that ICG thoracic fluid content had a significant
correlation with gold standard BVA, while BNP levels did not. The
research suggests that thoracic fluid content can assist clinicians in
the often difficult-to-estimate volume status of heart failure
patients.
o "Hemodynamic and B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Response to Neurohormonal
Titration in the Heart Failure Outpatient", conducted at Providence
Hospital, Mobile, Alabama, studied how BNP levels and ICG values
change in response to neurohormonal medication titration in the
outpatient setting. The researchers concluded that there were
significant improvements in both BNP values and ICG parameters during
the 3-month follow-up in outpatients treated with commonly used
neurohormonal medications, such as beta blockers, aldosterone
antagonists, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin
receptor blockers.
o "Oral Medication Titration in Outpatient Visits Preceding a Major Heat
Failure Event: Further Analysis from the PREDICT Study" was presented
by Neil Treister, M.D., Medical Director of CardioDynamics. The
PREDICT study results were presented in September, 2004, and
demonstrated ICG to be the most powerful predictor of short-term heart
failure events. This further analysis showed that in patient visits
within 14 days preceding heart failure events, clinicians generally
did not intervene by changing medications.
o "Heart Failure Patient Outcomes in Response to Medication Changes: A
Description of Symptoms, Physical Examination Findings and Hemodynamic
Parameters" conducted by researchers at the University of Nebraska
Medical Center, Lincoln, Nebraska, concluded that ICG-guided
medication changes reduced symptoms of shortness of breath and
dizziness in heart failure patients.
"The research community continues to highlight the impact of ICG on the
diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of heart failure," stated Michael K. Perry,
CEO of CardioDynamics' Chief Executive Officer. "Heart failure affects 22
million people worldwide and is the cause of 250,000 deaths in the U.S. each
year. We will continue to work with researchers to demonstrate how our
cost-effective technology can help physicians in the early detection and
improved treatment of this deadly disease."
The Company also announced that renowned heart failure specialist, Milton
Packer, M.D., Director, Center for Biostatistics and Clinical Science at the
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, and researchers from
over 20 multi-national centers met at the HFSA meeting to finalize the protocol
for the Company's next multi-center heart failure study, PREVENT-HF. PREVENT-HF
is a randomized controlled trial and is the follow-on study to the previously
reported PREDICT study. The purpose of PREVENT-HF is to demonstrate whether use
of ICG will allow physicians to intervene earlier and more aggressively in
high-risk patients, thereby reducing heart failure events and cost as compared
to standard care.
ABOUT CARDIODYNAMICS:
CardioDynamics (Nasdaq: CDIC), the ICG Company, is the innovator and leader of
breakthrough medical technology called Impedance Cardiography (ICG). The Company
develops, manufactures and markets noninvasive diagnostic and monitoring
technologies and electrodes. The Company's ICG Systems are being used by
physicians around the world to help battle the number one killer of men and
women--cardiovascular disease. Partners include GE Healthcare and Philips
Medical Systems. For additional information, please refer to the company's Web
site at www.cdic.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING (SAFE HARBOR) STATEMENT:
Except for the historical and factual information contained herein, this press
release contains forward-looking statements, such as market size, potential,
growth and penetration rates, the accuracy of which is necessarily subject to
uncertainties and risks including the Company's sole dependence on the BioZ
product line, and various uncertainties characteristic of early growth
companies, as well as other risks detailed in the Company's filings with the
SEC, including its 2004 Form 10-K/A. The Company does not undertake to update
the disclosures contained in this press release.