April 4, 2000
Company Press Release

OR AKIVA, Israel--(BW HealthWire)--April 4, 2000--MTRE Advanced Technologies, Ltd. announced today that the company has received approval from the U.S. FDA to market the Allon System thermo-regulation device. The Allon System enables physicians to maintain normal body temperatures in patients undergoing surgery.

Patients undergoing general anesthesia are vulnerable to hypothermia, the medical condition in which body temperature drops below normal leading to medical complications, slow recovery or death. In addition to preventing hypothermia, the Allon System also offers a breakthrough treatment for brain trauma through lowering brain temperature in order to improve the patients` outcome.

``All the physician has to do is set the desired temperature, the Allon System maintains that level,`` said Dr. Igal Kushnir, CEO of MTRE. The Allon System consists of three main components. The first is a disposable garment that wraps around the body and is made out of synthetic fabrics. The second comprises temperature sensors attached to the patient that provide a continuous feedback loop to a microprocessor-controlled heating or cooling unit (the third component).

The garment and controller units are connected by tubing through which the water flows to and from the device and garment. The controller unit can pick up slight shifts in the patient`s temperature, and circulate warmer or cooler water as required, enabling a stable, consistent level of body temperature.

``The Allon Patient Temperature Control System is one of the most novel and useful new clinical devices introduced to anesthesia practice in several years. The Allon`s ability to both warm and cool the patient to a predetermined set point opens new vistas of patient management,`` said Prof. Charles Beattie, Chief of Anesthesiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee. The Allon System has been tested in clinical trials involving pediatric and open-heart surgery at hospitals in Israel.

The system also was tested in a study with patients undergoing major abdominal surgery, including liver transplants, carried out at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Findings from these investigations include very precise temperature control for the entire operative period, less shivering, improved hemodynamics, and high surgeon satisfaction when using the Allon system.

These findings suggest that the use of the Allon System with patients undergoing general anesthesia can lessen the risk of medical complications, shorten recovery time and reduce hospital costs. The enormous market for the Allon includes more than 35,000 operating rooms in the U.S. alone, where an estimated 27 million operations are performed annually.

``We expect the Allon System to become standard equipment in operating rooms and other hospital wards around the world,`` said Dr. Kushnir.

The Allon System is manufactured by MTRE at a new production facility recently inaugurated in Or Akiva, Israel. MTRE was founded by Dr. Kushnir in 1998. The company has raised funds through Venture Capital Funds and private investors both in Israel and abroad and is currently undertaking a private placement in the U.S.