LID.L Regulatory News (LID)

LIDCO GROUP PLC

("LiDCO" or the "Company")

Multidisciplinary standardized clinical protocol using LiDCOrapid

shows improvement in patient outcomes

LiDCO Group Plc (AIM: LID), the cardiovascular monitoring company, welcomes a study published in the British Journal of Surgery, in which its LiDCOrapid hemodynamic monitor was used as part of a standardized clinical pathway to optimize patients, which has shown a significant improvement in patient outcomes. In particular, patients treated on the clinical pathway showed a significant reduction in length of hospital stay (by an average of ten days), immediate extubation and first-day mobilization following surgery.

Dr Terry O'Brien, CEO of LiDCO, commented: "Resources are being squeezed and healthcare systems are increasingly required to optimize their practice. I am delighted with the very significant results obtained in this study. The investigators used the LiDCOrapid monitor in this oesophagectomy clinical pathway for the fluid and drug management of patients undergoing a very demanding surgery, and materially improved patient outcomes.

LiDCO's ease of use facilitates the adoption of improvements in hospital processes that are increasingly shown to lead to better short-term outcomes. With its additional non-invasive functionality, the LiDCOrapid v2 with Unity software will be available shortly, further expanding the numbers of patients who can benefit."

Details of the study

The study took the standardized oesophagectomy clinical pathway ("SOCP") developed at the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Virginia Mason Medical Centre ("VMMC") in the US, and applied a similar pathway to patients undergoing oesophagectomy at the Royal Surrey County Hospital ("RSCH") in Guildford, UK. The objective was to see whether a SOCP could be transferred between hospitals to improve patient outcomes. Goal-directed fluid therapy using the LiDCOrapid intra operatively and for six hours post surgery was applied to all patients under the standardized care pathway at RSCH. Intraoperative fluid management is an established standard of care at RSCH.

Patients were grouped based on whether or not they were operated on under the SOCP (group 3 and group 1 respectively) and were compared with each other as well as compared with a US group who had been operated under the SOCP at VMMC (group 4). Patients in group 2 were operated on after the introduction of the SOCP but were not included in the pathway.

Fewer patients experienced postoperative complications following introduction of the clinical pathway (9 of 12 in group 1, versus 4 of 12 in group 3; P = < 0.041). Statistical analysis indicated that the SOCP was the only variable significantly associated with a reduced incidence of postoperative complications.

Significant improvements seen following implementation of the clinical pathway included the proportion of patients mobilizing on postoperative day 1 (1 of 12 in group

1 versus 12 of 12 in group 3; P < 0.001), median length of critical care stay (4 (range 2-20) versus 3 (1-5) days respectively; P < 0.001) and median length of hospital stay (17 (12-30) versus 7 (6-37) days; P = 0.022). Statistical analysis confirmed the SOCP to be the only variable significantly associated with a reduced length of hospital stay

Reference:

Preston, SR et al. (2012) Impact of multidisciplinary standardized clinical pathway on perioperative outcomes in patients with oesophogeal cancer. Br J Surg; DOI: 10.1002/bjs.8974

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About LiDCO Group Plc

LiDCO is a supplier of minimally invasive hemodynamic equipment to hospitals, to monitor the amount of blood flowing around the body and ensure that vital organs are adequately oxygenated. LiDCO's products facilitate the application of hemodynamic optimization protocols for high risk patients in both critical care units and in the operating theatre. 

Increasingly clinical studies are showing that the optimization of patients' hemodynamic status in high risk patients produces better outcomes and reduced hospital stay. LiDCO's computer-based technology, developed at St Thomas' Hospital in London, has been shown to significantly reduce morbidity and complications, length of stay and overall costs associated with major surgery.

Key Products:

All LiDCO monitors use single-patient disposables (sensors or smartcards) which provide an ongoing revenue stream.

LiDCO Distribution Network:

LiDCO's strategy is to sell directly to hospitals in the UK, and through a network of specialty critical care and anesthesia distributors in the rest of the world.

LiDCO's sales office is in Cambridge, its manufacturing facility and headquarters are in London and its shares are traded on AIM. For more information please see www.lidco.com.