Astro-Med's
Grass Technologies Group Receives FDA Clearance to Market Its Neurotrac®
III Neuromonitoring System
WEST WARWICK, RI, Jan 20, 2009 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Astro-Med,
Inc. (NASDAQ: ALOT) today announced that its Grass Technologies Product
Group has received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Clearance to sell
its Neurotrac® III Neuromonitoring software system.
Grass® Neurotrac III software received 510(k) clearance for the
intended use of recording the electroencephalogram (EEG) and the computed
EEG trends over extended periods of time so that trained health care
professionals can observe long-term changes. The company will now begin
to sell this existing product for new applications in continuous EEG
monitoring.
Marco Mancini, Grass Technologies Sales Manager, commented, "The
Neurotrac III will expand our markets from the traditional EEG and Long
Term Monitoring (LTM) labs into the Intensive Care Units and Operating
Rooms of hospitals where monitoring brain activity is now considered
as valuable as monitoring cardiac rhythm."
Mancini continued, "Neurotrac III also has applications outside
of ICUs and ORs, including hospital Emergency Rooms as well as in the
EEG Labs, Epilepsy Monitoring Units, and PSG laboratories which have
been the traditional customers of Grass EEG system products."
According to Mancini, continuous EEG monitoring, or "Neuromonitoring"
of patients in the Intensive Care units of hospitals is in growing demand.
Neuromonitoring provides a means to continuously assess brain function
in critically ill and often comatose patients of all ages, including
neonates. Indications for Neuromonitoring in the ICU include: monitoring
for subclinical seizures; status epilepticus monitoring; monitoring
for detection of cerebral ischemia; management of pharmacologically
induced coma; monitoring levels of sedation; traumatic head injuries;
and others.
In addition to displaying and recording the traditional EEG waveforms,
the Neurotrac III software also computes and displays graphical trends
of EEG features such as amplitude integrated EEG trend, frequency trends,
and Burst-Suppression Patter trends which aid the physician in identifying
changes in brain function over time. The displayed information allows
a nurse or physician to intervene and modify treatment of the patient
to improve neurological outcome.
About Grass Technologies
Grass(R) Technologies, an Astro-Med, Inc. Product Group, is a world
leader in neurophysiological monitoring instruments and software designed
to detect, amplify, and display the electrical activity of the brain.
Primary applications of Grass products include Sleep Monitoring and
Analysis, Long-Term Monitoring (LTM), EEG Monitoring, and Neurophysiological
Research Studies. Customers include sleep centers and clinics, hospitals,
universities, and pharmaceutical companies. More information about Neurotrac
III and Grass Technologies is available at: www.GrassTechnologies.com,
or by telephoning 877-472-7779 toll-free in the USA and Canada.
About Astro-Med, Inc.
Astro-Med, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of specialty high tech printing
systems, electronic medical instrumentation, and test and measurement
instruments. Astro-Med, Inc. products are sold under the brand names
Astro-Med(R), Grass Technologies, and QuickLabel(R) Systems, and are
employed around the world in a wide range of aerospace, medical, military,
industrial, and packaging applications. Astro-Med, Inc. is a member
of the Russell Microcap(R) Index. Additional information is available
by visiting www.Astro-MedInc.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This news release contains forward-looking statements, and actual results
may vary from those expressed or implied herein. Factors that could
affect these results include those mentioned in Astro-Med's FY2008 annual
report and its annual and quarterly filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
Contact:
Everett V. Pizzuti
President
Astro-Med, Inc.
Tel: 401-828-4000
www.grasstechnologies.com
