PITTSBURGH and WESTBURY, N.Y., Jan. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The International EECP Therapists Association (IETA) and Vasomedical, Inc. (Vasomedical) (OTC Bulletin Board: VASO) jointly announce the second annual EECP Therapy Week.
Cardiovascular disease has become more prevalent among men and women in the U.S. and around the globe and physicians and scientists have been exploring effective alternative treatments to the conventional palliative invasive methods, such as bypass surgery and stenting, for treating heart conditions. Recognizing the importance of increasing the public's awareness of a clinically proven, cost-effective alternative treatment, The International EECP Therapists Association initiated EECP® Therapy Week to inform the public about EECP Therapy, an FDA cleared, non-invasive but underutilized therapy for treating patients with several heart conditions.
Occurring annually during the last full week of February, the second annual EECP Therapy Week will be recognized this year from February 18 22, 2013. During this week, EECP centers around the U.S. will host special events to raise awareness of EECP Therapy and honor the American Heart Association’s Heart Month.
Among these events is the Red Balloon Release, a unique and highly visible activity that will bring EECP staff and patients together to release balloons to the sky with personal messages as a tribute to the positive impact EECP Therapy has had on their health and the quality of their lives. The Red Balloon Release is scheduled on Tuesday, February 19 and will take place concurrently around the nation at 1:00pm EST, 12:00pm CST, 11:00am MST and 10:00am PST. Last year, hundreds of balloons were released to honor the positive impact of EECP Therapy.
Enhanced external counterpulsation (or EECP), the gold standard of ECP Therapy, is a proprietary non-invasive cardiology treatment created and marketed by Vasomedical. EECP Therapy has a proprietary timing algorithm and sequential pneumatic compression system that is designed to more effectively and safely increase blood flow and reduce the workload of the heart. It is proven to enhance the lives of those who undergo treatment with significant symptom relief and a reduction in the frequency of future hospitalizations. It is currently being used mainly to treat conditions including angina and congestive heart failure.
"EECP Therapy is a complementary, non-invasive form of treatment for patients who, despite maximum medication, still suffer from angina symptoms that interfere with their daily lives," stated Louanne Tempich, President, International EECP Therapists Association. "One of the major barriers to EECP treatments being widely accepted is a lack of awareness about this therapy people do not understand that this is an option with very real, beneficial results. Our goal with EECP Therapy Week is to increase public awareness of this treatment as a safe, non-invasive option that will help improve patients' lives."
"The first annual EECP Therapy Week was a great success," said Larry Liebman, Vice President, Sales & Marketing for Vasomedical. "EECP facilities around the United States showed their support by hosting events and participating in the Red Balloon Release to help generate awareness about this treatment. Since the first annual EECP Therapy Week last year, we have seen an increase in interest and numerous inquiries from physicians and patients about the technology. To date, EECP Therapy has provided a great experience for patients who undergo treatment and scientific studies have demonstrated very positive results for these individuals."
To learn more about EECP Therapy and events taking place during EECP Therapy Week, please visit www.EECP.com and www.ietaonline.com.
About The International EECP Therapists Association
The IETA was established in 2000 by a group of dedicated EECP® therapists and supervisors to share their collective knowledge and experience in providing EECP® Therapy, a relatively new technology at the time, in order to ensure the highest possible patient benefits and safety, as well as increase the operational success of their centers. IETA membership has grown over the past 12 years both in the U.S. and overseas. Both U.S. Medical Director, Dr. Joseph Tartaglia and Dr. Subramanian Ramasamy, the International Medical Director, have been involved in providing EECP Therapy to patients for over 16 years and been involved in controlled clinical trials demonstrating the safety and efficacy of EECP® Therapy that have been published in peer reviewed medical journals. For more information about the IETA visit www.ietaonline.com.
About Vasomedical
Vasomedical, Inc. is a diversified medical technology company specializing in the manufacture and sale of medical devices and in the domestic sale of diagnostic imaging products. The Company's main proprietary products are EECP® Therapy systems, the gold standard of ECP treatment. The Company operates through three wholly owned subsidiaries: VasoSolutions, Vasomedical Global and VasoHealthcare. VasoSolutions manages and coordinates the design, manufacture and sales of EECP® Therapy systems, and other medical equipment operations; Vasomedical Global operates the Company's China-based subsidiaries; and VasoHealthcare is the operating subsidiary for the exclusive sales representation of GE Healthcare diagnostic imaging products in certain market segments. Additional information is available on the Company's website at www.vasomedical.com.
Except for historical information contained in this release, the matters discussed are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. When used in this release, words such as "anticipates", "believes", "could", "estimates", "expects", "may", "plans", "potential" and "intends" and similar expressions, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to Vasomedical and IETA's management. Neither the Company nor IETA undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements as a result of future events or developments.
Media Contact:
Samantha Wolf
KCSA Strategic Communications
212-896-1220
swolf@kcsa.com
SOURCE Vasomedical, Inc.
