BOSTON--May 17, 2006--Electrophysiology (EP) is the fastest growing of all cardiovascular disciplines, as roughly 550,000 new patients are diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmias in the United States each year.(1) Demonstrating its ability to meet the evolving needs of today's electrophysiologists, Siemens Medical Solutions showcased its comprehensive portfolio of EP solutions at the recent Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) meeting in Boston. The company also highlighted ultrasound applications for the assessment of patients with congestive heart failure and a new 3D solution for atrial fibrillation.

"Cardiac arrhythmias are being diagnosed at increasing rates," said Kelly Feist, senior director, Cardiology Global Solutions, Siemens Medical Solutions. "Now more than ever before, electrophysiologists need efficient and effective solutions to diagnose and treat arrhythmic heart disease earlier, while driving down costs. By providing one of the industry's widest product offerings of EP solutions, Siemens arms electrophysiologists with the tools and information necessary to improve patient and clinical outcomes."

Ultrasound Applications Enable Assessment of Heart Failure
Siemens will showcase complete solutions for the assessment of heart failure patients and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) candidates with dynamic cardiovascular assessment methods that dramatically speed up clinical workflow. At Heart Rhythm 2006, the company highlighted its suite of echocardiography tools for electrophysiology, including the new automated left ventricular quantification package.

For the first time, electrophysiologists not only have Doppler-based assessment tools for evaluating heart failure patients and synchronization of heart contraction using the Axius(TM) Quantification Synchronization Tools (QST), but also the ability to assess left ventricular dynamics in patients with heart failure using Axius Velocity Vector Imaging(TM) (VVI) technology. As a result, new insight into ventricular mechanics with quantitative echocardiography helps physicians assess patients as candidates for CRT, therefore significantly improving heart failure treatment. The suite of electrophysiology applications is available on all Siemens' transthoracic (TTE), transesophageal (TEE) and intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) transducers. Another highlight on the ACUSON Sequoia platform is the new Axius Auto Ejection Fraction(TM) measurement tool. Using expert system design, the technology allows automated, rapid and reliable measurements of cardiac ejection fraction, thus providing a new level of accuracy in cardiac quantification.

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