Geratherm Medical AG: Positive results from atrial fibrillation study

Geratherm Medical AG  / Key word(s): Study

26.05.2011 08:50

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 Positive results from atrial fibrillation study

Notice pursuant to §15 WpHG (Wertpapierhandelsgesetz, German Securities
Trading Law) by DGAP, a subsidiary of Equity Story AG. The issuer is solely
responsible for the contents
of the notice.

Clinical Trial Confirms Application of SRAclinic for Stroke Prevention
  - Prospective trial at the university hospital Heidelberg considering the
    application of SRAclinic in stroke units shows convincing results.

  - Fully automated SRAclinic from apoplex medical technologies for the
    detection of atrial fibrillation after stroke is superior to current
    diagnostic procedures and could help to prevent future strokes.

Apoplex medical technologies, Pirmasens, Geratherm Medical AG, Geschwenda
May 26th, 2011. To prevent secondary strokes, it is of utmost importance to
know the etiology of a stroke. Against this background, Prof. Dr. med.
Roland Veltkamp presented today the up to date unpublished results of his
prospective clinical trial for the 'detection of paroxysmal atrial
fibrillation at a stroke unit'. The presentation was given during the 20th
European Stroke Conference (ESC) at Hamburg (Germany). The trial was
conducted from March 2010 to January 2011 at the stroke unit of the
university hospital Heidelberg and included app. 600 patients. It compared
the detection of atrial fibrillation under the application of SRAclinic
(SRA = Stroke Risk Analysis) with the conventional procedure. Atrial
fibrillation is considered as the most important risk factor for stroke.

SRAclinic is a fully automated ECG analysis for the detection of atrial
fibrillation. It was developed by apoplex medical technologies GmbH from
Pirmasens and is on the market.

Convincing trial results
The trial shows a significant superiority of SRAclinic in the detection of
paroxysmal atrial fibrillation over conventional examination methods like
24 hour long term ECG or continuous ECG monitoring without automated
analysis. A significant increase of the detection rate for patients with
atrial fibrillation after ischemic stroke or TIA (transient ischemic
attack) was reached with the application of SRAclinic. In total, 9.2
percent of the stroke patients were found with paroxysmal atrial
fibrillation during their stay at the stroke unit.
With a combination of the admission ECG and the automated analysis of the
ECG data from monitoring, 96.2 percent of the patients with paroxysmal
atrial fibrillation were found. On the contrary, the more elaborate
conventional 24 hour long term ECG in combination with the admission ECG
detected only 58.5 percent of the patients with paroxysmal atrial
fibrillation. As SRAclinic is using routine monitoring ECG data from the
stroke unit anyway, it saves diagnostic resources.

Background to SRAclinic
SRAclinic is used in stroke units, which are special units for the
treatment of stroke patients. The analysis of the ECG data is based on a
patented mathematical procedure which interprets changes in the heart rate
dynamics that occur in connection with atrial fibrillation. SRAclinic uses
the routine ECG data from the patient monitoring system.

Strong Potentials
'The results of the trial and the strong potential of the method surprised
us', said Prof. Dr. med. Roland Veltkamp, Neurologist at the university
hospital Heidelberg, after his talk at the ESC. 'Although doctors and
nurses at our big stroke unit in Heidelberg are well aware of the
importance of the documentation of atrial fibrillation after ischemic
stroke for prevention of secondary strokes, the application of the
automated analysis lead to a significant increase of newly detected
patients with atrial fibrillation compared to the conventional ECG
monitoring.  Therefore the system could make an important contribution to
the prevention of secondary strokes.'

Supplementary information about apoplex medical technologies
apoplex medical technologies GmbH was founded in 2004 in Pirmasens, in the
west of the Rhineland-Palatinate, and, within the field of medical
technology, specializes in new and innovative technological products for
the prevention of strokes throughout the world. The subsidiary of Geratherm
Medical AG focuses on easily applicable and efficient methods of patient
screening using medical-technical applications to prevent strokes and
vascular dementia. The SRA (Stroke Risk Analysis) procedure is the first
practicable screening method for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. It is
available in versions for use in medical practices and stroke units.
apoplex medical technologies is supported by an extensive academic and
clinical network, which professionally supplements its own core competences
in the fields of mathematics, physics and medicine. Further information is
available at www.apoplexmedical.com.

Further information     
apoplex medical technologies GmbH   
Albert Hirtz       
Delaware Avenue 1 - 3     
D-66953 Pirmasens      
fon: +49/(0)6331/698998-0     
fax: +49/(0)6331/698998-19     
http://www.apoplexmedical.com      
a.hirtz@apoplexmedical.com     


26.05.2011 DGAP's Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, 
Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. 
Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de

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Language:     English
Company:      Geratherm Medical AG
              Fahrenheitstraße 1
              98716 Geschwenda
              Deutschland
Phone:        +49 (0)36205 98-0
Fax:          +49 (0)36205 98-1 15
E-mail:       info@geratherm.com
Internet:     www.geratherm.com
ISIN:         DE0005495626
WKN:          549562
Listed:       Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr
              in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, München, Stuttgart
 
End of Announcement                             DGAP News-Service
 
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