Remon Medical Technologies Ltd announced the first use of the Remon ImPressure AAA monitoring device as part of endovascular repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in medically high-risk patients. The first implants of the ImPressure device took place at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, NY in 3 patients on June 4 and June 6, 2003. The procedures were performed by Michael L. Marin, Professor of Surgery and Chief, Division of Vascular Surgery, Mount Sinai Medical Center. In all three cases, aneurysm pressure readings were successfully transmitted to an external monitor during the procedure and in subsequent follow-ups. The Remon ImPressure was attached, prior to the procedure, to a polyester endovascular stent graft.

"The Remon ImPressure presents a novel approach, providing a safe mechanism for evaluating patients following endovascular aortic reconstruction. Remon's technology is expected to provide significant information about Type I and Type II endoleaks in an easy-to-use, non-invasive manner," said Dr. Marin.

Remon Medical's innovative technology is integrated into minute implants, requiring no antenna, battery, or connecting leads, allowing a tiny device implanted deep inside the body to communicate wirelessly with an external system. These devices either monitor a variety of physiological parameters or stimulate tissues and organs or activate other devices, creating therapeutic responses.

This revolutionary procedure is the first human use of an implantable intra-vascular telemetric communication system. The Remon ImPressure will allow physicians to monitor the pressure within the excluded AAA, a condition in which the largest artery in the body balloons to a diameter where there is an increased risk of rupture. "With its easy-to-use office monitor, the device will also allow more frequent follow-up of patients, including history tracking of changes in their intra-aneurysmal pressure," Marin adds.

In 2001, Guidant Corporation, a global leader in the treatment of cardiac and vascular disease, and Remon Medical, established a cooperative development and supply agreement to incorporate the Remon ImPressure into Guidant's leading Ancure Endograft System, a less-invasive method for repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

Remon Medical also develops the RemonCHF, a device for measurement of pulmonary artery pressure -- the most important hemodynamic indicator in heart failure. A one-time, minimally invasive catheter-based procedure will provide unlimited, non-invasive home-based monitoring of the CHF patient's hemodynamic status.