LiDCO Group plc (AIM: LID), the cardiovascular monitoring company, is pleased to announce that the United States Army has purchased 31 LiDCO™plus Continuous Hemodynamic Monitors to be used in 16 major medical centers in and outside the U.S. This order of $456,000 for 31 LiDCO™plus Monitors is the largest received to date by our US sales organisation. It follows on from the successful conclusion of an evaluation conducted at Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas.

Lt. Col. Kurt Grathwohl MD, Assistant Chief of Anesthesia at Brooke Army Medical Center, who co-ordinated the purchase with the US MeDCom Surgeon General, stated: "We are looking forward to utilizing the LiDCO™plus System in our facilities. The use of these monitors will provide immediate and more accurate hemodynamic information allowing us to better treat and optimize our critically ill patients."

Dr Terry O'Brien, Chief Executive of LiDCO, stated: "This order is a tremendous endorsement for the use of our technology. We would like to thank the US Army for choosing our system and products. We are excited about working with the doctors and nurses in these centres to implement our novel standard of care in minimally invasive hemodynamic monitoring."

Notes to Editors

About LiDCO Plc

LiDCO is a UK-based AIM-traded developer, manufacturer and leading supplier of minimally invasive, computer-based hemodynamic monitoring equipment and disposables used primarily for the management of critical care and cardiovascular risk hospital patients. Use of LiDCO’s technology has been shown to significantly reduce the complications (particularly infections) and costs associated with major surgery. The technology was invented in the Department of Applied Physiology based at St Thomas’ Hospital, London where the Company maintains a research base.

The Company’s manufacturing facility is in Hoxton, London and its current products are: 

• LiDCOplus and PulseCO monitors: computer-based platforms for displaying a range of real-time, continuous hemodynamic parameters including cardiac output, oxygen delivery and fluid volume;

• LiDCO disposables: used in conjunction with the LiDCOplus Monitor to accurately determine cardiac output in a minimally-invasive manner.

Distribution Network:

The Company has now achieved registration of its products in 13 markets in Europe, the USA, Brazil and Japan.  It sells direct to the NHS in the UK, and through a worldwide network of specialty critical care distributors.

Background to the recently published clinical trial: Better than standard care - (EGDT) improves outcome in high risk surgery patients:

The results of a major trial at St George’s Hospital, London using LiDCO’s minimally invasive monitoring technology were presented during the 25th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine in Brussels (21st to 25th March). The results have revealed the following:

a) Savings in the cost of treating patients amounting to an average of £4,000 per patient.  Extrapolated nationally, this would equate to a saving of £500 million per annum for the NHS

b) The monetary saving (£248,000) - resulted from 640 hospital days saved for 62 patients, an average of more than 10 bed days per patient

c) The savings in cost and hospital days were associated with a significant reduction in medical complications (particularly infections – which were halved) through the use of LiDCO’s minimally invasive technology to improve tissue oxygen levels following surgery.