SAN FRANCISCO -- GE Healthcare has received FDA 510k clearance on its Navigator Applications Suite, an aid to healthcare providers as they make clinical decisions in anesthesia therapy. GE also introduced today its Pressure Controlled Ventilation-Volume Guaranteed (PCV-VG) technology in the Avance Carestation, an advanced anesthesia delivery solution. GE also will be featuring one of its compact ultrasound systems, the LOGIQ e, partnered with anesthesiologists to develop a customized, streamlined offering designed specifically for anesthesia applications.

This new technology was featured this week at the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) annual meeting in San Francisco.

Navigator Applications Suite highlights:

Navigator Applications Suite is a software package that includes Navigator Therapy, Navigator Protocol and Navigator Device. Navigator software receives data from supported GE anesthesia delivery systems, GE anesthesia patient monitors and intravenous drug infusion pumps.

Navigator Therapy is a technology that analyzes drug therapy information to model and predict the effect of supported anesthesia-related drugs and drug interactions. It helps clinicians determine effective treatment plans for each patient, and adjust the treatment as needed based on quick access to centralized and relevant information.

Navigator Protocol centralizes your hospital's own care protocols at the point of need for immediate access and reference. Navigator Device troubleshoots technical problems in the anesthesia machine and provides specific step- by-step instructions on how to resolve a device issue. Navigator Applications Suite is one component of the GE Carestation - the intelligent way of managing life-critical information to help you make informed decisions for patients.

Avance Carestation PCV-VG highlights:

At ASA 2006, GE launched the PCV-VG mode on its Aisys Carestation, becoming the first company in the world to bring the PCV-VG mode to the operating room. This year, the mode is available on the Avance Carestation. This compact, integrated anesthesia carestation combines advanced anesthesia delivery, patient monitoring and information management into an integrated perioperative system. The PCV-VG mode delivers all the benefits of pressure control ventilation at the same time it provides a consistent tidal volume to the patient. The benefits of pressure control ventilation include:

* Helps prevent over-pressure of the lungs, while helping to avoid alveoli collapse. 1
* Supports the filling of even the stiff alveoli early in the inspiratory cycle giving the maximum time for gas exchange. 2
* Provides better oxygenation at lower peak airway pressures. 3

During traditional pressure control ventilation, volumes delivered to the patient can vary widely. Volume control ventilation delivers a consistent tidal volume, but may not ventilate the stiff alveoli until late in the inspiratory time. PCV-VG mode solves this dilemma and brings the best of both modes to the operating room.

LOGIQ e highlights:
The LOGIQ e launched in 2006; now the LOGIQ e Breakthrough 2008 features enhancements to image clarity, system simplicity and system efficiency. GE partnered with anesthesiologists to develop a customized, streamlined offering designed specifically for anesthesia applications.

"GE is committed to breakthroughs in anesthesia care to enhance critical patient care and to expand the performance of our integrated perioperative systems," said Hannu Syrjala, General Manager of GE Healthcare's Life Support Solutions business. "The breadth of GE's leadership allows for the convergence of technologies in anesthesia care, such as our laptop-style, miniaturized ultrasound system designed for the operating room."
References:

1. Hospital Physician, January 2006, Page 20 Kanagarajan & Oropella, Mt Sinai Medical Center, NYC
2. Critical Care Medicine Tutorials, University of Pennsylvania, Patrick Neligan, 2007
3 Journal of Trauma, November 1996 41 (5) 8008-14 Branson, Campbell and Porembka

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, performance improvement, drug discovery, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies is helping clinicians around the world re-imagine new ways to predict, diagnose, inform, treat and monitor disease, so patients can live their lives to the fullest.

GE Healthcare's broad range of products and services enable healthcare providers to better diagnose and treat cancer, heart disease, neurological diseases and other conditions earlier. Our vision for the future is to enable a new "early health" model of care focused on earlier diagnosis, pre-symptomatic disease detection and disease prevention. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a $17 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 46,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.