Acist Medical Systems Contrast Delivery System Facilitates Diagnosis of 10 Millionth Patient

First All-in-One Angiographic Imaging System Simplifies Procedures for Interventional Cardiologists and Staff to Improve Patient Care and Reduce Health Care Costs ACIST Medical Systems, Inc. (ACIST), a Bracco Group company, a leader in advanced contrast injection system technology for cardiovascular angiography, announced that interventional cardiologists and staff have used the company’s Contrast Delivery System to help diagnose and treat 10 million patients. The ACIST system is the first all-in-one, variable-flow technology that gives physicians control over the full range of injection volumes, from small vessels in the coronaries to large vessels in the ventricles and peripheral vasculature. The system’s widespread adoption in prestigious teaching institutions as well as mainstream community based hospitals has demonstrated benefits in reducing costs and complexity and in enhancing patient care. “The ACIST contrast delivery system was developed to help doctors perform angiography more efficiently and, in turn, facilitate timely and appropriate treatment,” said Dr. Robert Wilson, inventor of the ACIST system and Professor of Interventional Cardiology at the University of Minnesota. “The system shortens procedures, decreases the amount of dye injected into patients and reduces radiation exposure for health care professionals and patients.” During an angiogram, x-ray dye is injected into the heart arteries through a catheter in a patient’s leg or arm. Cardiologists rely on angiographic imaging to see inside the heart’s arteries, diagnose heart disease and determine which patients need surgery or angioplasty. The ACIST all-in-one system replaces traditional injection methods that rely on the operators’ manual manipulation of a hand injection syringe and stopcocks for small coronary vessels and a fixed-rate power injector for large vessels, as well as manual tracking of contrast use. The ACIST system features include air column sensors, a unique hand controller and a monitor that tracks and displays contrast usage. The ACIST system has air column sensors that automatically stop the procedure when air is detected, helping prevent a potentially serious complication for the patient. The unique hand controller facilitates precise administration of contrast for more consistent imaging with lower contrast amounts, reducing radiation exposure. The hand controller also allows the clinicians to step back from the radiation source during imaging to reduce radiation exposure, as well as deliver contrast without the stress of manually injecting throughout the heart’s vessels – thereby reducing hand fatigue and the potential for carpal tunnel syndrome. “We are committed to providing best-in-class technology for angiographic imaging. Reaching 10 million procedures with our Contrast Delivery System is a testament to our product’s effectiveness and efficiency, as well as its ability to reduce radiation exposure for clinicians and patients,” said Thomas Morizio, president and chief operating officer, ACIST Medical Systems. “We are especially proud of the fact that our angiographic system can make a clinical difference while also reducing costs and complexity – essential factors in today’s health care environment. We look forward to continuing to help address the expanding needs of more complex and evolving interventional procedures.” About ACIST Medical Systems ACIST Medical Systems, a Bracco Group company, is a pioneer and market leader of advanced contrast imaging system technology for cardiology and radiology. Since 1998, ACIST has manufactured more than 2,200 advanced, variable-flow contrast delivery systems for cardiologists in more than 45 countries. In 2011, ACIST reached a milestone with more than 10 million patients benefitting from a cardiovascular angiography procedure using an ACIST Contrast Delivery System. Headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn., with regional offices in Europe and Asia, ACIST employs more than 220 people worldwide. To learn more, visit www.acist.com. About the Bracco Group Bracco is an international Group, founded in 1927, active in the healthcare sector through Bracco Imaging (diagnostic imaging), Pharma (prescription and over the counter drugs), ACIST Medical Systems (medical devices and advanced imaging agents injection systems based in Minneapolis, USA) and the Centro Diagnostico Italiano diagnostic clinic in Milan. It has more than 2,800 employees and annual total consolidated revenues of over one billion Euro. The Group operates in 90 Countries worldwide. The controlled company Bracco Imaging is one of the key innovators in diagnostic imaging. It has reached this position also through the acquisition of highly scientific and technological value companies in the USA and Canada. www.bracco.com