LiDCO Group Plc 08 November 2005 For immediate release 8 November 2005 LIDCO GROUP PLC ("LiDCO" or "the Company") STUDY SHOWS LiDCO TECHNOLOGY HELPS TO REDUCE POST SURGICAL COMPLICATIONS - POTENTIAL COST SAVINGS TO NHS ESTIMATED AT UP TO £500 MILLION 8 November 2005: LiDCO Group plc (AIM: LID), the cardiovascular monitoring company, is pleased to note that the findings of a recent study which utilized the LiDCOplus monitor, published today in the journal Critical Care, have shown that achieving and maintaining increased oxygen delivery in high-risk patients immediately after major surgery reduces the patients' risk of post-operative complications by more than one third and also reduces the length of time spent in hospital by an average of 12 days1. LiDCO's technology is a unique technology in that it minimally invasively provides real-time measurement of the absolute level of oxygen delivery without the need for insertion of an invasive catheter into a major artery or the heart. Implementation of a similar strategy in other hospitals across the NHS could result in estimated savings of £500 million annually. The protocol, which is based on the principle of Goal Directed Therapy (GDT) or patient optimisation, was conducted at St George's Hospital, London1. The St George's protocol uses a tailored combination of intravenous fluid and DopacardTM (dopexamine) to achieve target levels of oxygen delivery to the patient1. Progress is measured using a LiDCOplus monitor for the eight-hour period after surgery1. The combination of fluids and dopexamine together with less invasive monitoring leads to reduced complications and infection risks. It is also an ideal system for nurse-led patient management. The technique is easy to use and reduces the risk of infection and trauma to the patient1. A randomised controlled, partially blind, single-centre study was conducted at the adult intensive care unit at St George's Hospital, London. In the study, 122 adult patients at high risk of post-operative complications were recruited; 62 patients were randomised to receive goal directed therapy (GDT), and 60 patients, control treatment. The patients were followed up for 60 days after surgery1. Analysis of the results found that patients in the GDT group developed significantly fewer complications and spent less time in hospital after surgery, compared with those in the control group. Under half (44%) of the patients in the GDT group developed complications, compared with more than two thirds in the control group (68%). The average length of stay in hospital in the GDT group was 17 and a half days, compared to 29 and a half days in the control group1. Approximately three million surgical operations are carried out in the UK every year, with a hospital mortality rate of (0.8-1.0%)2. Of these, a proportion will be high-risk patients, and mortality rates are likely to be higher within this subset. Data from the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) has been found to show that 20,000 people die every year following surgery3. An estimated 3 in 100 patients will develop post-operative infections, which often result in a longer stay in hospital. Patients in other countries routinely receive a higher level of post-surgical care than the majority of NHS patients do; and the UK has a lower proportion of hospital beds allocated to critical care (0.6 critical-care beds per 10,000 population in the UKcompared to 4.4 per 10,000 in the US2). Commenting on this announcement, Terry O'Brien, Chief Executive of LiDCO, said: "I am delighted that the LiDCOplus monitor was chosen to be used in this study and helped to produce such significant medical findings. Our technology was found to be minimally invasive, easy to use, and helped to reduce the risk of infection and trauma to patients. This, coupled with the reduced need for post-operative care and the implied major NHS cost savings of up to £500 million, is a huge boost for our Company." Commenting on these results, David Bennett, Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at St George's Hospital said: "Every year 8,000 patients in the UK will die after major surgery and intensive care treatment. These results are highly significant and, if replicated in other hospitals in the UK, could ensure a widespread reduction in risk associated with major surgery. The resulting improvement in patient outcomes and shorter hospital stay will not just mean more patient beds available, but ensure massive cost savings if implemented throughout the NHS. St George's saved £1.8 million last year by implementing this simple protocol." ---Ends--- For further information please contact: LiDCO Group Plc: Tel: +44 (0)20 7749 1500 Terry O'Brien (CEO), Hugh McGarel-Groves (FD) Financial PR: Buchanan Communications: Tel: +44 (0)20 7466 5000 Tim Anderson, Mary-Jane Johnson, James Strong Medical & Consumer PR: Reynolds-MacKenzie: Tel: +44 (0)20 7031 4360 / 4361 Eva Reynolds, Alison MacKenzie Broker: Panmure Gordon Tel: +44 (0)20 7459 3600 Grant Harrison, Aubrey Powell, Katherine Roe References 1 Pearse, R. et al. Early goal directed therapy following major surgery reduces complications and duration of hospital stay. A randomised controlled trial. Critical Care vol.9(6), 687 -693, 2005. 2 Surgical Outcomes Group. Modernising care for patients undergoing major surgery - Improving patient outcomes and increasing clinical efficiency. A report by the Surgical Outcomes Group, published in June 2005. 3 National Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Deaths. The 2002 report of the National Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Deaths. 11 November 2002. Notes for editors About LiDCO Group 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 London, UK 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. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange