FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Debra Oakes
ACIST Medical Systems
952-995-9352
debra.oakes@acistmedical.com

ACIST Medical Systems Announces The ACIST CVi product introduction at the TCT:
The ACIST CVi – Trust Experience. Rely on Innovation

Minneapolis, MN, October 17, 2005 – ACIST Medical Systems, a leading clinical and technological company in automated contrast delivery systems, and part of the Bracco Group announced today the introduction of the ACIST CVi Contrast Delivery System for cardiovascular angiographic procedures.  This product combines all of the features of the ACIST CMS and Voyager systems onto one platform.

The ACIST CVi is being highlighted at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) symposium in Washington, D.C.  The ACIST CVi is expected to be commercially available in the first quarter of 2006, or before. 

“The new CVi combines enhanced ease of use with the reliability and flexibility that clinicians have come to expect from ACIST,” states Fulvio Renoldi Bracco, Chairman of ACIST.  “Preliminary customer feedback has been excellent, and I am confident that the ACIST CVi will further enhance both workflow and productivity in the angiographic suite.”

ACIST implements innovation by developing systems that can be set up to meet the unique needs of the patient, the clinicians and the requirements of each procedure.  This fourth generation product enhances the ease of contrast and saline injection for physicians, nurses and technicians with the following new system benefits:

• Ease and Simplicity - innovation and experience has been translated into simplicity with the ACIST CVi.  The straight forward, intuitive setup of the system and disposables coupled with their flexibility and versatility is designed to provide the clinician with more freedom to focus on the patient.
• Procedural Flexibility and Workflow - ACIST CVi provides one contrast delivery system for both cardiac and vascular angiography.  Synchronization capabilities are part of this integrated system, further enhancing the flexible platform.
• Versatility of Equipment Setup - the lower-profile, table-mountable injector and extendable control panel can be placed where it is needed most and with less interference.  The ACIST CVi system can help reduce the amount of equipment in the procedure room and has features which shorten the learning curve for new users.1

As always, ACIST CVi Fluid Delivery System continues to provide

• Precision and Control – through variable-rate adjustments of contrast flow and volume, in “real-time”, by simply adjusting the pressure applied to the ergonomic AngioTouch® hand controller.
• Trust and Reliability – through established experience and ongoing innovation of ACIST systems.
• Cost Effectiveness and Enhanced workflow – through the reduction of contrast media usage and set-up time needed.

With over 800,000 procedures annually, and growing, ACIST is a leading player in precision, user-controlled, variable-rate delivery of contrast media for both large and small vessel angiography.  Since the system’s introduction in 1998, numerous articles in top tier interventional cardiology journals have described its potential benefits.1-6

The introduction of the ACIST CVi demonstrates Bracco’s on-going commitment to its customers by supplying innovative, practical and reliable products to fit their needs.

About ACIST
ACIST is a world leader in contrast delivery solutions for the imaging field, dedicated to advancing the art of angiography through research and development of new products and technologies – supporting today's needs and anticipating those of tomorrow. More than three and a half million people around the world have had cardiovascular angiographic procedures using an ACIST system.  ACIST systems are widely proven in the global health care arena, with clinical usage in over 30 countries and in many world-renowned centers, as well as in community hospitals and university settings.  

About Bracco
The Bracco Group is a world leading provider of global diagnostic imaging solutions, with net sales of more than $1.25 billion. Bracco has operations in 115 countries and about 3,500 employees, over 600 of whom work in R&D. Bracco invests approximately 15% of its annual turnover in R&D and has a portfolio of 1,500 patents worldwide.

The Bracco Group is a leader in the diagnostic imaging market with an integrated product offering from a diverse roster of subsidiary companies.  While Bracco is recognized internationally as a definitive market leader in its core business of contrast media, Bracco also markets key diagnostic imaging resources through the following companies: Esaote, which is one of the world’s primary producers of magnetic resonance and ultrasound imaging systems; ACIST Medical Systems, a manufacturer of advanced contrast media injection systems; EBIT-AET, which creates and markets medical application software, and Singapore-based Volume Interactions, which also produces advanced medical software.

Bracco also operates a high-level international research network, with three centers (Milan, Geneva, and Princeton).  These centers develop products of the latest-generation diagnostic techniques, from X-ray and computed tomography (CT) to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear medicine and ultrasound.

AngioTouch is a registered trademark of ACIST Medical Systems.

1.J Invas Cardiol 2004; 16:360-362

2. J Invas Cardiol 2005; 16:360-362

3. Cath Lab Digest 4:15 suppl Oct 2002

4J Int Cardiol. 2001:12:147-152

5 J Invas Cardiol 2005; 17:118-121

6.J Invas Cardiol 2005, 16:729-731

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