STOCKBRIDGE, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 2001 via NewsEdge Corporation -

PDSHEART, the leading provider of cardiac monitoring services and medical diagnostic devices, today announced a strategic alliance with Cardiac Telecom, the inventors of the sophisticated Telemetry @ Home cardiac arrhythmia detector and alarm system, that gives PDSHEART national distribution rights for the home-based product.

The deal enhances PDSHEART's leadership position in diagnostic telemedicine.

Telemetry @ Home represents a breakthrough technology that automatically detects and calls-in heart events even when the patient is sleeping. Physicians treating patients suffering from syncope, atria fibrillation and other hard-to-detect arrhythmias call the product a critical tool in patient care. Alois Langer, who was chief engineer and designer of the automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (AICD), invented Telemetry @ Home.

"We are very excited about being national distributors of Telemetry @Home," said Sean Heyniger, president of PDSHEART. "The key to our success has always been providing physicians with better tools and service to treat and care for their patients. 'Telemetry @ Home' gives physicians better, more comprehensive and timely information. In helping them do their job more effectively, patients may enjoy better outcomes."

Cardiac Telecom is a leading innovator in telemedicine products, which use standard telephone lines for the transmission of vital diagnostic test data. The company is based in Turtle Creek, Pa.

"The national distribution deal with PDSHEART for our Telemetry @ Home service, based on our leading edge HEARTLink II(TM) System, enables us to bring the power of new and exciting technology into the patient's home on a national scale, as we focus on additional innovations in telemetry technology," said Lee Ehrlichman, CEO, Cardiac Telecom. "And PDSHEART's extensive distribution network ensures that our service offering will be in the hands of physicians whose patients need this level of sophisticated testing."

PDSHEART is the leading provider of comprehensive cardiac telemedicine services for cardiovascular disease and hard-to-diagnose arrhythmias. It is the first telephonic service provider to market an Automatic Triggering Event Recorder, a device that has already been credited with saving many lives. PDSHEART is also the creator of WebHolter.com, a product that allows physicians to access Holter test results via the Internet.

About PDSHEART

PDSHEART is the provider of cardiac monitoring services and medical diagnostic devices in the U.S. Its product line includes the first automatic triggering heart event recorder available in the US, as well as digital, web-based Holter monitors, Pacemaker Analysis and follow-up and Arrhythmia Monitoring for Drug Studies. PDSHEART is based in Stockbridge, GA. Web site: www.pdsheart.com

About Cardiac Telecom

Cardiac Telecom has developed the patent-protected HEARTLink II(TM) Telemetry@Home system, a fully automatic, real-time cardiac arrhythmia detection and alarm system targeted for post-surgical coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients and those patients with difficult to diagnose arrhythmias (such as syncope). The system monitors and diagnoses electrocardiogram (ECG) patterns, automatically detects 16 different arrhythmias and automatically transmits them via standard telephone to a central monitoring station. The system was specifically designed to operate without patient intervention. Cardiac Telecom monitors all patients from its Turtle Creek, PA offices. Web site: www.cardiactelecom.com

CONTACT: KNB Communications, LLC, New York | Barbara Lynch, 212/505-2441 | Fax: 212/505-0698 | blynch@knbpr.com