There was apparently some delayed reaction to VASO's news on Jan.16.The stock went up 12.31% yesterday on volume of 681,500.
If it is able to close above the Jan.17 H of 4.75 then it will have to deal with the good amount of resistance at the 5.50 level from the Hs in June, July and September last year.After that the upward momentum should improve. The H on March last year was 14.18
Here is the news about EECP from Japan, which was published in the JACC.:
WESTBURY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 16, 2001-- Vasomedical, Inc. (Nasdaq: VASO - news) announced today that a new study featured in the current issue of the highly respected Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) showed that EECP® enhanced external counterpulsation therapy has a striking effect on the heart's ability to relax. Until now, the relationship of EECP to cardiac contractility functions had not been linked to improved cardiac relaxation. The heart's ability to relax between beats strongly affects its overall performance as a pump. In addition, radionuclide scans seen on the cover of JACC show that EECP significantly improves perfusion to ischemic regions of the heart.
Commenting on the recent Japanese findings, Andrew Michaels, MD of the University of California at San Francisco said, ``This study is exciting because it provides the first clear-cut evidence that EECP improves diastolic filling during the relaxation phase of the cardiac cycle in patients with coronary artery disease. Until now, the relationship of EECP therapy to relaxation and contraction functions of the heart had not been extensively studied. The findings in this report give us important clues as to how EECP therapy reduces myocardial ischemia.'' Dr. Michaels went on to say, ``The radionuclide scans seen in this study strongly suggest that improvement in exercise capacity is linked to better cardiac perfusion.''
Douglas A. Goldman, Vice-President of Marketing and Business Development for Vasomedical, stated, ``One-third of the patients analyzed in this study had ''silent ischemia.`` We've known that EECP reduces symptoms in those with angina, but these most recent data suggest that EECP may be equally effective in treating the estimated 3-4 million patients in the United States who have myocardial ischemia, but are not symptomatic.'' Silent ischemia is a temporary shortage of oxygen to the heart that occurs without pain. Those with silent ischemia may be more prone to heart attacks without warning. Mr. Goldman added, ``This study demonstrates that EECP has a positive effect on the filling aspect of cardiac function which may also have important implications for patients suffering from congestive heart failure (CHF).'' CHF is a disabling condition affecting nearly 5 million Americans and the most frequent cause of hospitalization for those over 65 years of age. A large pivotal trial sponsored by Vasomedical on the efficacy of EECP in the treatment of CHF patients is scheduled to begin shortly.
The new study, entitled ``Enhanced External Counterpulsation Improves Exercise Tolerance, Reduces Exercise-Induced Myocardial Ischemia, and Improves Left Ventricular Diastolic Filling in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease,'' by lead author Hisashi Urano, MD of the Kurume University School of Medicine in Kurume Japan, looked at a cohort of 12 patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and documented myocardial ischemia. Patients were evaluated in two phases: a control phase to determine baseline characteristics, and a treatment phase in which patients received an average of 35 hours of EECP treatment. The effects of EECP therapy were assessed following the completion of treatment by a series of clinical examinations including exercise stress tests, radionuclide scans and an array of hemodynamic evaluations.
The results of the study show that EECP improved cardiac filling capacity function by several measures. In particular, pressure in the left ventricle decreased at the end of diastole and both the peak filling rate and the time to peak filling of the left ventricle improved significantly. Results also showed statistically significant improvement in all exercise tolerance parameters measured in the study, including exercise duration and time to ST-segment depression, important measures of the heart's response to exercise induced stress. These results were attributed to the effects of EECP as reflected in radionuclide perfusion scans, which showed significantly improved circulation in the myocardium following therapy.
EECP is a non-invasive, outpatient therapy that utilizes pneumatic cuffs to compress the lower extremities in time with a patient's heartbeat. The therapy reduces angina symptoms by decreasing the heart's workload and improving circulation in areas of the heart deprived of adequate blood supply. The treatment has been scientifically validated over the past several years, and has been approved for Medicare reimbursement.
Vasomedical, Inc. is primarily engaged in designing, manufacturing, marketing and supporting external counter pulsation systems based on the Company's proprietary technology currently indicated for use in cases of angina, cardiogenic shock and acute myocardial infarction. EECP® is a registered trademark for Vasomedical's enhanced external counterpulsation system. This system is now in use at major medical centers, including the Beth Israel Medical Center - New York City, Christ Hospital and Medical Center, the Cleveland Clinic, Texas Heart Institute, Johns Hopkins, JFK Medical Center-Atlantis, FL, University Hospital at UMDNJ/New Jersey Medical School, Kaiser Permanente of Denver, the Mayo Clinic, the Miami Heart Institute and the Ochsner Foundation Hospital, as well as medical centers affiliated with Columbia University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of California at San Diego, the University of California at San Francisco, University of Florida at Gainesville, State University of New York at Stony Brook and the University of Virginia. The Company provides hospitals, clinics and private practices with EECP® equipment, treatment guidance and a staff training and maintenance program designed to provide optimal patient outcomes. Additional information is available on the Company's website at www.vasomedical.com. |
