LID.L Regulatory News (LID)

21 Mar 2005 07:02

LiDCO Group Plc21 March 2005 For immediate release 21 March 2005 LiDCO GROUP PLC ("LiDCO" or "the Company") USE OF LIDCO TECHNOLOGY SUBSTANTIVELY REDUCES SURGICAL COMPLICATIONS AND COSTS SIGNIFICANT INDEPENDENT TRIAL RESULTS LiDCO Group plc, (AIM: LID) the UK-based cardiovascular monitoring company, ispleased to announce today that the results of a major trial at St George'sHospital, London using Lidco's minimally invasive monitoring technology will bepresented during the 25th International Symposium on Intensive Care andEmergency Medicine in Brussels (21st to 25th March). The results have revealedthe following: • Savings in the cost of treating patients amounting to an average of£4000 per patient. Extrapolated nationally, this would equate to a saving of£500 million per annum for the NHS • The monetary saving - £248,000 - resulted from 640 hospital days savedfor 62 patients, an average of more than 10 bed days per patient • The savings in cost and time were associated with a significantreduction in medical complications (particularly infections - which were halved)through the use of LiDCO's minimally invasive technology to improve tissueoxygen levels following surgery. These are the results from a randomized controlled trial which used LiDCO'sminimally invasive cardiovascular monitoring technology to both measure bloodflow and increase oxygen delivery in surgery patients. The trial quantified theeffect of increased oxygen delivery (Early Goal Directed Therapy "EGDT") onmorbidity (organ damage and infection) and post surgery bed day stay. Using LiDCO's new generation monitor, significant improvements in outcome maynow be achieved postoperatively without over burdening scarce intensive carefacilities and without the use of older and more invasive monitoring techniques. The study concluded: 'EGDT immediately following general surgery in high riskpatients reduces complications and length of hospital stay. This approach isboth practical and effective.' Details of the clinical trial results can be requested from the Company. Formore information please visit www.lidco.comFor further information please contact: LiDCO Group Plc Terry O'Brien (CEO) terry@lidco.com 020 7749 1500 Theresa Wallis (Chairman) theresa.wallis@lidco.comBuchanan CommunicationsTim Anderson tima@buchanan.uk.com 020 7466 5000 Mary-Jane Johnson mary-janej@buchanan.uk.com James Strong jamess@buchanan.uk.comDurlacher Ltd (Broker & Nomad)Grant Harrison (Head of Corporate Broking) 020 7459 3600 Notes for Editors: Background to the clinical trial: Better than standard care - (EGDT) improves outcome in high risk surgerypatients: For many patients standard surgical and post operative care is adequate.However, there is a group of patients at higher risk of surgical morbidity(tissue damage) and mortality (death). The risk is related to the patient'spreoperative fitness level and, in particular, how their cardiovascular (heartand circulation) and respiratory (oxygenation) reserves respond to the stress ofsurgery. Low reserves/levels of fitness translate into a higher risk ofcomplications. A number of studies have shown that the use of earlygoal-directed therapy (EGDT) to achieve and maintain adequate tissue oxygenationin such patients can result in a reduction in complications, a better clinicaloutcome and commensurately lower hospital costs. Why is EGDT not available to all high risk surgery patients? Adoption of EGDT in general surgery patients has been inhibited by the invasiveand complex nature of more traditional monitoring equipment which is catheterbased, (the catheter has to be inserted into the heart). The risk of infectionand tissue damage coupled to the resource/cost implications of using suchcomplex catheter based technologies has slowed the application of such advancedcardiovascular care to a wide patient population. Post surgical EGDT is an ideal application for the minimally invasive LiDCOplusmonitor: LiDCO's technology is less invasive as it does not require the insertion ofadditional catheters into the heart. It can be used in conscious orunconscious patients, and is designed to be quick and easy to set up. Themonitor can be used by both doctors and nurses to measure and display beat tobeat trends in blood flow and oxygen delivery to the body. Using this technologythe maintenance of a target oxygenation level and/or the 'early' and rapid payback of any oxygen debt incurred during surgery can be both achieved and,importantly, documented. The LiDCOplus monitor screen software has beenspecifically designed to be highly visible at a distance for routine monitoringonce the patient is stabilized, whilst also providing more detailed feedbackwhen the clinician or nurse is administering the intravenous fluids andpowerful drugs that are used to increase blood flow and oxygen delivery. Summary of the advantages of the LiDCOplus technology in the treatment of highrisk surgery patients: • No additional staff are needed to set and achieve oxygen deliverytargets • The technology can be used by a nurse and does not require aspecialist clinician • It can be set up quickly and easily • The monitor is specially designed to be make precise criticalmeasurements easy to read and interpret, enabling swift corrective action to betaken when needed • The technology enables an audit trail of medical data to be recordedand passed to the hospital's patient information system • Significantly less invasive with commensurately lower infection ratereduced risk of tissue damage and less trauma for the patient than with oldercatheter based technologies • Collectively, these factors mean better clinical outcomes forpatients, lower demands on critical care units staff, and lower costs overallfor the healthcare provider. General Notes about LiDCO Plc LiDCO is a UK based AIM traded developer, manufacturer and leading supplier ofminimally invasive, computer-based hemodynamic monitoring equipment anddisposables used primarily for the management of critical care andcardiovascular risk hospital patients. The technology was invented in theDepartment of Applied Physiology based at St Thomas' Hospital, London where theCompany maintains a research base. The Company's manufacturing facility is in Hoxton, London and its currentproducts are: • LiDCOplus and PulseCO monitors: computer-based platforms fordisplaying a range of real-time, continuous hemodynamic parameters includingcardiac output, oxygen delivery and fluid volume; • LiDCO disposables: accurately determine cardiac output in aminimally-invasive manner. The Company has achieved registration of its products in 13 markets in Europe,the USA and Japan. It sells direct to the NHS in the UK, and through aworldwide network of specialty critical care distributors. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange