Medwave Inc and Children's Hospital of Boston plans to expand their clinical study of the Vasotrac APM205A continual non-invasive blood pressure monitor on children. In April 2001, Medwave entered into an agreement with Children's Hospital of Boston to study the performance of the Vasotrac continual non-invasive blood pressure monitor in children with cardiology concerns. The scope of this expanded study will be with children during surgical procedures. Specifically, Children's Hospital of Boston will compare the Vasotrac monitor to invasive arterial catheters to determine if the accuracy is enough to ultimately reduce or eliminate invasive catheters in some of their patients.

Recently, Medwave announced that it was the recipient of the prestigious Child Health Corporation of America Seal of Acceptance. The CHCA Seal of Acceptance is awarded to companies whose technology offers more efficacious methods to treat children than what has been available previously. Medwave remains committed to supporting work in the field of children's care to continually endorse and validate Medwave's technology for use with this very important patient population.

It is estimated that approximately one-third of the 5000 U.S.-based hospitals treat children. Therefore, having technology that offers greater accuracy, speed and comfort than what is currently available in non-invasive blood pressure cuffs, will offer the caregiver more options in this extremely important patient population.

Medwave's Vasotrac APM205A is designed for measuring a patient's blood pressure non-invasively on a continual basis, with updates available approximately every 15 heartbeats. The Vasotrac APM205A is currently being used in anesthesiology, critical care, emergency rooms, sleep study labs and cardiology departments. In some cases when a patient requires an arterial catheter only for monitoring blood pressure on a continual basis, Vasotrac APM205A users have reported a reduced need for A-lines.

The Vasotrac APM205A has been marketed in several major countries in the world, including the United States. Recently, Medwave signed an agreement with AmeriNet Inc, the nation's largest membership-based health care group purchasing organization.

Medwave's Vasotrax Handheld Blood Pressure Monitor, designed for professional use, allows clinicians the ability to obtain a spot blood pressure reading in approximately 15 seconds. The Vasotrax eliminates the need for a conventional blood pressure cuff, uses no mercury, and has an accuracy correlation of 0.90 when compared to an arterial catheter. Conventional non-invasive blood pressure products typically have an accuracy correlation of 0.70-0.80 when compared to an A-Line.