In conjunction with the annual European Society of Anaesthesiologists (ESA) meeting this week, Nassib Chamoun, president and CEO of Aspect Medical Systems, Inc. (Natick, Mass., U.S.A.), announced the recent opening of the company's international headquarters in Leiden, The Netherlands. The international division, responsible for sales outside of North America, is headed by Vice President and Managing Director Helgert van Raamt, who oversees sales, distribution, and clinical support functions for Aspect's Bispectral Index(TM) (BIS(TM)) technology - a direct measure of the effects of anesthesia on the brain. Van Raamt previously served in a similar role at Nellcor Puritan Bennett, later Mallinckrodt Respiratory, where he helped to develop and was responsible for managing the company's $285- million European business. Under his leadership, the division grew substantially to approximately 30 percent of the Mallinckrodt Respiratory global business. Boudewijn L.P.M. Bollen, who previously served as president of the international division during its start-up phase, is now a member of the company's board of directors and an advisor on international business development strategy. According to Chamoun, the headquarters was established in response to an increased demand for Aspect's products internationally, and is an integral step in expanding market acceptance of the BIS monitor outside of North America. "Healthcare facilities across the United States are adopting the BIS monitor at an accelerated rate because it helps them to improve the quality of care while reducing costs," Chamoun said. "The international division is focused on bringing the benefits of the BIS monitor to the rest of the world. We are committed to addressing the needs of the local markets to help replicate our success in the United States." Aspect's initial international business development strategy is focused on building awareness of and credibility for the technology via a two-pronged approach: establishing a network of OEM and distribution partners to quickly penetrate the market, and growing and maintaining a network of clinical reference sites to further enhance market acceptance of the BIS monitor. As in the United States, the international division will maintain the high level of post-sale clinical support that is an Aspect trademark. "In many ways, our international marketing, sales, and support strategy mirrors that of Aspect's successful model in the United States, which has resulted in routine use of the BIS monitor in many facilities," van Raamt said. "While routine use is also our goal in the international market, a key strategic difference is that instead of building a direct sales force, we are developing a network of distributors to leverage local relationships and sales protocols. In addition, we are outsourcing warehousing and administrative functions to control overhead and allow us to focus on core competencies of marketing, sales management, and clinical support." Worldwide, Aspect has installed approximately 3,000 monitors utilizing BIS technology, which collectively have monitored more than 500,000 patients since late-1996. At the ESA meeting (May 29 - June 1), approximately 15 abstracts highlight current and future applications of BIS technology. To date, more than 250 scientific publications from trials involving over 5,000 patients document the efficacy and clinical outcome benefits of BIS monitoring. A significant number of these trials were conducted internationally by independent investigators. About BIS Monitoring Developed in collaboration with leading anesthesiologists, BIS technology uses a patented, processed EEG parameter to provide a noninvasive, direct means of measuring the effects of anesthetics on the brain. The technology enables anesthesia providers to easily track a patient's level of consciousness and administer the appropriate amount of anesthesia for each patient, leading to reduced drug use, faster and more predictable patient wake-up times after surgery, and improved patient recovery from anesthesia. BIS monitors use a sensor placed on the forehead to capture the EEG signals, which are translated into a single number ranging from 100 (for wide awake) to zero (indicating the absence of brain electrical activity). BIS technology is available in Aspect's A-2000(TM) BIS monitor and has been licensed for integration into monitoring systems manufactured by other patient monitoring companies, including Draeger Medical Group, a division of Draegerwerk AG (Luebeck, Germany), Nihon Kohden Corp. (Tokyo, Japan), and Spacelabs Medical, Inc. (Redmond, Wash., U.S.A.). About Aspect Medical Systems Aspect Medical Systems, Inc. is a privately held medical technology company that develops noninvasive monitoring systems to improve the cost effectiveness and quality of patient care. The company's systems utilize innovative, patented, digital signal processing software linked to proprietary sensors. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.aspectms.com. Bispectral Index, BIS, and A-2000 are trademarks of Aspect Medical Systems, Inc. ots Original Text Service: Aspect Medical Systems Internet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Lorie Fiber/Joni Morford of Fischer & Partners, Inc., 310-577-7870, ext. 109/152, lfiber@fischerpr.com, jmorford@fischerpr.com Web site: http://www.aspectms.com