Champaign, Illinois - January 5, 2005 - A new version of OxiplexTS™, the noninvasive tissue oximeter, has been launched by ISS. The new version of the instrument features several technical advances that make it easier to use, smaller in sizes and simple to manufacture and test.

“We have listened to our customers and implemented their suggestions regarding the ergonomics” Dr. Dennis Hueber, Director of Engineering at ISS, said. “The new version of the oximeter is half the size of the previous version, which makes it easy to accommodate in a laboratory or in a clinical environment. Additionally, the manufacturing time and the testing time are greatly reduced as we implemented a modular approach and much of the testing is done through software protocols”.

The instrument features an on-board microprocessor that automatically controls the gain of the signal, regulates the operations of the light detectors and processes the acquired signal. Data is sent to the portable computer through the USB port. Four external signal outputs allow for the output signals to be sent to a console for merging the oximetry data with signals provided by other devices in the clinical setting. An Ethernet port allows for the diagnostics of the instrument from a distance through the Internet. Finally, more than one instrument can be coupled and synchronized when more than two sensors are placed on the same patient.

ISS is in the process of getting ISO: 9001 certification. Upon certification, ISS will file an application with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval for the use of OxiplexTS™ as a medical device in assessing the stages of peripheral vascular disease (PVD). Currently, ISS has an active grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the study of sleep-apnea using the non-invasive oximeter. Data is collected at Carle Clinic in Urbana, Illinois, and at The Medical School of the University of Illinois at Chicago. ISS also maintains a collaboration with Prof. F. Charbel, Head of the Department of Neurosurgery at The University of Illinois at Chicago, for the development of applications of OxiplexTS™.