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(R) III Neuromonitoring
software system.
Grass(R) 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.
(401) 828-4000
SOURCE: Astro-Med, Inc.