Chinese Hospitals And EMS Services Install AutoPulse
CHELMSFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ZOLL Medical Corporation (Nasdaq GS: ZOLL), a manufacturer of resuscitation devices and related software solutions, announced today that a number of high-profile hospitals and EMS centers in the People's Republic of China have installed the Company's AutoPulse® Non-Invasive Cardiac Support Pump.
The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) of China approved the device, which provides automatic chest compressions to circulate blood to the hearts and brains of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) victims, for use in China in December 2007. The SFDA is equivalent to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Hospitals and EMS centers included in the first installation of AutoPulse include Beijing EMS Center, Shenyang EMS Center, Xinjiang EMS Center, Shandong Qianfoushan Hospital ER, Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital, Haikou City EMS, and Guangzhou Nanfang Hospital. AutoPulse helps provide the consistent, uninterrupted chest compressions called for by the 2005 American Heart Association Guidelines. It is an automated, portable device with an easy-to-use, load-distributing LifeBand® that squeezes the entire chest in a consistent, uninterrupted "hands-free" manner, improving blood flow to the heart and brain during cardiac arrest. Additionally, it offers the benefit of freeing up rescuers to focus on other life-saving interventions.
"SFDA approval for health care and emergency agency use of the AutoPulse has opened up a window of new opportunities for ZOLL in China. Adoption by leading medical institutions in this large market is welcomed," said Richard A. Packer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ZOLL. "Because AutoPulse moves more blood more effectively than manual compressions, this is a positive direction in providing the best possible patient care."
To date, approximately 3,000 AutoPulse units have been deployed in hospitals and emergency services worldwide.
Expanding Market for ZOLL
The adoption of the AutoPulse by a number of institutions underscores ZOLL's expanding footprint in China. Earlier this year, ZOLL announced that 80 of its AED Plus® units were being installed in the newly-built Terminal 3 at Beijing International Airport. Terminal 3 is the largest single airport building in the world and the gateway terminal for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, which is expected to welcome 55.6 million passengers to the summer games.
About Sudden Cardiac Arrest
SCA claims more than 1 million lives each year worldwide. It is the leading cause of unexpected death in the world and strikes without warning. Currently, only about 5 percent of victims survive; 95 percent will die from SCA. SCA is an abrupt disruption of the heart's function, which causes a lack of blood flow to vital organs.
About ZOLL Medical Corporation
ZOLL Medical Corporation is committed to developing technologies that help advance the practice of resuscitation. With products for pacing, defibrillation, circulation, ventilation, and fluid resuscitation, ZOLL provides a comprehensive set of technologies, including Real CPR Help® and See-Thru CPR®, that help clinicians, EMS professionals, and lay rescuers resuscitate sudden cardiac arrest or trauma victims. ZOLL also designs and markets software that automates the documentation and management of both clinical and non-clinical information.
ZOLL markets and sells its products in more than 140 countries. The Company has direct operations, distributor networks, and business partners throughout the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia, and Australia. 2008 marks the 25th anniversary of ZOLL's resuscitation product development. For more information, visit www.zoll.com.
Certain statements contained in this press release, including statements regarding the future business of the Company, and other statements contained herein regarding matters that are not historical facts, are "forward-looking" statements (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 9, 2008. You should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this press release, and the Company disavows any obligation to update or supplement those statements in the event of any changes in the facts, circumstances, or expectations that underlie those statements.
Copyright © 2008 ZOLL Medical Corporation. All rights reserved. 269 Mill Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824-4105. ZOLL, AED Plus, AutoPulse, LifeBand, Real CPR Help, and See-Thru CPR are registered trademarks of ZOLL Medical Corporation. All product names are the property of their respective owners.
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