Study Shows Cardioscan Leads to 41% Reduction of Unnecessary and Costly Cardiac Referrals by Physicians

Study Also Credits Cardioscan with Aiding Physicians in Improving Detection of Murmurs Associated with Potentially Harmful Heart Disease by 46% 


PRINCETON, N.J., Oct. 9  /PRNewswire/ -- Zargis Medical Corp., a spin-off from Siemens Corporate Research (NYSE:SI) and a majority-owned subsidiary of Speedus Corp. (NASDAQ:SPDE), today announced summary results of the clinical study it conducted in 2005 in collaboration with The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The study assessed the impact of the Cardioscan(R) system on referral decisions made by primary care physicians regarding heart murmurs -- which are potential signs of heart disease.

An abstract from the study was presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition yesterday in Atlanta.

The study measured the accuracy of a group of primary care physicians in evaluating a set of 100 recorded heart sounds. The heart sounds were independently evaluated by each physician both with and without access to Cardioscan's reported findings.  With Cardioscan's findings, the physicians were able to reduce their rates of unnecessary referrals by an average of 41%. This indicates Cardioscan's potential to generate a large reduction in wasted healthcare spending.

The study also revealed a reduction in the physicians' false negative rates by an average of 46%, suggesting that Cardioscan could increase a physician's ability to identify those pathological heart conditions that are difficult to detect with a standard stethoscope.

"In addition to the medical benefits that would result from improving the diagnostic accuracy of heart sound evaluation, strong financial incentives exist as well. We estimate that more than 3 million U.S. patients are unnecessarily referred each year for an echocardiogram or to a heart specialist for evaluation of innocent heart murmurs. Based on the results of this study, we are confident that Cardioscan can contribute to a significant reduction in this unnecessary healthcare spending while dramatically improving a physician's ability to detect potentially pathological heart murmurs," stated Zargis CEO John Kallassy.

Zargis will be presenting the financial and medical benefits of Cardioscan usage suggested by this study to health insurance providers and other organizations that may benefit from Zargis' technology.

About Zargis Medical Corp.

Zargis Medical Corp. develops advanced diagnostic decision support products and services for primary care physicians, pediatricians, cardiologists and other healthcare professionals. Zargis was formed in 2001 when Siemens Corporate Research, a division of Siemens AG (NYSE:SI), and Speedus Corp. co-invested to develop and market an advanced acoustic technology designed to detect heart abnormalities identified through analysis of heart sounds.

About Cardioscan

Zargis has developed Cardioscan, the first and only computer-assisted medical device designed to support physicians in analyzing heart sounds for the identification of suspected systolic and diastolic murmurs. Cardioscan is a non-invasive device that is easy to use, portable, and takes just minutes to perform. The device implements voice-guided protocol and a graphical user interface while maintaining an efficient physician workflow. Cardioscan provides a summary of findings in terms that are readily understood by physicians and offers an additional range of quantitative auscultatory information that cannot be obtained through listening alone. As a result, Cardioscan enhances auscultation-a procedure that has been universally employed through a stethoscope for nearly two-hundred years.

For additional information about Zargis or Speedus Corp., contact Peter Hodge at 888.773.3669 (ext. 23) or  or visit the following Web sites: http://www.zargis.com/ and http://www.speedus.com/.

Statements contained herein that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about the Company's product, corporate identity and focus, may be forward-looking statements that are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by the Company, including, but not limited to, the continuing development of the Company's sales, marketing and support efforts. 

DATASOURCE: Zargis Medical Corp.



CONTACT:  Peter Hodge of Zargis Medical Corp., 1-888-773-3669 ext. 23,





Web site:  http://www.zargis.com/

http://www.speedus.com/ 

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