Tensys® Medical Ships First Order for Tensys® T-Line® to St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital Texas Heart Institute

San Diego, CA and HOUSTON, TX | April 28, 2003 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking the company's first sales, Tensys® Medical, the leader in real-time blood pressure management, today announced that St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, home of the Texas Heart Institute, has placed an order for the Tensys® T-Line®, an FDA-cleared medical device providing anesthesiologists better, more effective control over patient safety during surgery by allowing them to quickly monitor and manage blood pressure variations. Continuing its leadership role for cardiovascular surgical advances, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, home of the Texas Heart Institute, located in the heart of the Texas Medical Center in Houston, has purchased multiple T-Line® systems for both their cardiovascular and general anesthesia patients. Tensys completed over 500 surgical test cases and began commercial distribution of the T-Line® earlier this month.

"I have seen the benefits that non-invasive, continuous, real-time blood pressure monitoring brings to my practice," stated N. Martin Giesecke, M.D., Cardiovascular Anesthesia, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, home of the Texas Heart Institute. "I found several benefits to using the Tensys® T-Line® during surgery. The device is non-invasive, eliminating many patient-related risks and it rapidly adjusts to patient movement. It provides a more accurate means of monitoring blood pressure trends such as low or high swings in real-time, allowing me to move from reactive to proactive blood pressure management during surgery. Overall, the T-Line® will increase patient safety and is a much-needed advancement in blood pressure management," continued Dr. Giesecke.

Top anesthesiologists have also noted that the Tensys® T-Line® can significantly extend the anesthesia safety net to address the issues of hemodynamic instability in much the same manner that oximetry has reduced the occurrence of respiratory mishaps during anesthesia.

There are currently two primary methods used by anesthesiologists to monitor blood pressure during surgery. The T-Line®, via its continuous, real-time data, is far more effective than the traditional cuff method and has clinically equivalent accuracy to that of the arterial line (A-line). The Tensys® device uses a transdermal pressure sensor to continuously yet non-invasively measure blood pressure at the radial artery.

"Tensys® worked closely with members of the St. Luke's medical staff, gaining clinical feedback prior to marketing of the T-Line®. Their feedback and that from many anesthesiologists was an integral part of the T-Line's development. Overall, we spent a tremendous amount of time listening to the needs of the clinicians and addressing their concerns before we initiated commercialization," said Michael J. Martin, chief executive officer, Tensys® Medical. "We are dedicated to providing the anesthesia community with the most advanced blood pressure management tools in the industry and are proud to have the opportunity to help increase patient safety at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital."

About Tensys® Medical

Tensys® Medical, Inc. is the leader in real-time blood pressure management. The Tensys® T-Line® the company's lead product, was cleared by the FDA in November 2002 as a medical device providing anesthesiologists with a non-invasive, continuous real-time blood pressure management tool.

The Tensys® T-Line® measures a patient's blood pressure at the radial artery. It offers anesthesiologists better, more effective control over patient safety during surgery by allowing them to quickly monitor and manage blood pressure variations. The T-Line®, via its continuous, real-time data, is far more effective than the traditional cuff method and has clinically equivalent accuracy to that of the arterial line (A-line). The device is based on Tensymetry®, the company's proprietary and patented technology, for non-invasively extracting the continuous, beat-to-beat pressure waveform from the radial artery without the use of any external calibration device. The science of Tensymetry® is broadly protected and is the result of over six years of research and development. Prior to its official product launch in March 2003, the Tensys® T-Line® was tested in approximately 500 surgical cases nationwide.

Tensys® Medical is based in San Diego, California and was founded in November 1995. For more information, please visit the company's Web site at www.tensysmedical.com.

Company Contacts:

Bill Markle
Vice President, Marketing & Business Development
Tensys® Medical, Inc.
858.522.1941 x211
bmarkle@tensysmedical.com

Media Contacts:

James Forte or Maureen O'Donnell
Townsend Inc.
858.457.4888
jforte@townsendinc.com
modonnell@townsendinc.com