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October 13, 2008

PIEDMONT HOSPITAL FIRST IN GEORGIA TO INSTALL TOSHIBA’S Aquilion ONE DYNAMIC VOLUME CT SCANNER

New Technology Reduces Radiation Exposure, Time and Healthcare Costs

TUSTIN, California — October 13, 2008 — Patients experiencing symptoms associated with heart conditions or stroke frequently undergo multiple tests over the course of several days for physicians to make an accurate diagnosis. Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta is streamlining this process by installing the Aquilion® ONE from Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc., which can reduce diagnosis time from hours and days to a matter of minutes. With the Aquilion ONE, the world’s first dynamic volume CT system, physicians provide one comprehensive exam, reduce cost by eliminating multiple tests and access complete, accurate information to diagnose and treat patients faster.

“Traditionally, we may use three different types of imaging tests to diagnose a cardiac patient, which can take up to five days,” explained Szilard Voros, M.D., chief of the Piedmont Heart Institute’s center for wellness, prevention and women’s heart disease. “The Aquilion ONE provides a more comprehensive exam and diagnosis in a matter of minutes. In just one heartbeat, we are able to see data that is traditionally captured over 500 heartbeats using other imaging systems. This is truly a quantum leap in technology and a great addition to our Piedmont Heart Health Advantage program, designed to predict and prevent heart disease with the help of the new Toshiba scanner.”

Toshiba’s Aquilion ONE dynamic volume CT system builds one 3D image of an entire organ in a single gantry rotation by using 320, 0.5 mm, detector rows so physicians can see everything inside the organ. That makes the Aquilion ONE CT technology dramatically different from multi-slice CT technology that creates multiple images — or slices — and pieces them back together.

Unparalleled in diagnostic imaging today, the Aquilion ONE can also produce a 4D clinical video showing up to 16 cm of anatomical coverage, enough to capture the entire brain or heart, and show its movement and its blood flow.

“In addition to streamlining the diagnosis process, the Aquilion ONE significantly reduces the amount of radiation the patient is exposed to by replacing several exams with this single comprehensive test,” added Dr. Voros. “With the Aquilion ONE, patients are exposed to less than 15 mSv of radiation versus an accumulated 40 mSv of radiation through the traditional multiple tests. If the only clinical question is the status of the arteries supplying the heart, the radiation dose can be as low as 3 to 5 mSv. As a reference, the annual background radiation we all experience in the United States is about 3 mSv. The Aquilion ONE allows us to provide one safe and accurate exam with significantly less radiation to the patient.”

As a leading provider of cardiac services in Atlanta, the Piedmont Heart Institute will use the Aquilion ONE primarily for cardiac patients but can expand its use into other areas, including neurology.

“Toshiba’s Aquilion ONE is designed for today’s healthcare environment and the installation at Piedmont will serve thousands of patients a year,” said Doug Ryan, senior director, CT Business Unit, Toshiba. “By replacing several tests with a single exam, the Aquilion ONE has the potential to change physicians’ approach to treat at-risk patients immediately — saving resources and time for both the healthcare facility and the patient.”

About the Piedmont Heart Institute
The Piedmont Heart Institute (PHI) is the first integrated cardiovascular healthcare delivery program affiliated with a community health system in greater Atlanta and is headquartered on the campus of Piedmont Hospital, a 481-bed tertiary care facility offering all major medical, surgical and diagnostic services. Offering a continuum of patient care, including primary and secondary prevention, outpatient and inpatient cardiovascular care, and appropriate quality measures and metrics to demonstrate enhanced outcomes, PHI combines renowned cardiologists and the 162-bed Fuqua Heart Center of Atlanta to propel new programs in cardiovascular research, education and excellence in prevention, arrhythmias, coronary and vascular intervention, stroke and cardiac imaging. PHI is part of Piedmont Healthcare (PHC), a not-for-profit organization that also includes Piedmont Fayette Hospital, a 143-bed acute-care community hospital in Fayetteville; Piedmont Mountainside Hospital, a 42-bed community hospital in Jasper; Piedmont Newnan Hospital, a 143-bed acute-care community hospital in Newnan; Piedmont Healthcare Philanthropy, the fundraising arm; the Piedmont Physicians Group, with more than 90 primary care physicians in 30 offices throughout metro Atlanta; and the Piedmont Clinic, a 563-member physician network. For more information, visit www.piedmontheartinstitute.org.

About Toshiba
With headquarters in Tustin, Calif., Toshiba America Medical Systems markets, sells, distributes and services diagnostic imaging systems, and coordinates clinical diagnostic imaging research for all modalities in the United States. Toshiba Medical Systems Corp., an independent group company of Toshiba Corp., is a global leading provider of diagnostic medical imaging systems and comprehensive medical solutions, such as CT, Cath & EP Labs, X-ray, Ultrasound, MRI and information systems. Toshiba Corp. is a leader in information and communications systems, electronic components, consumer products, and power systems. Toshiba has approximately 191,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of $67 billion. For more information, visit www.medical.toshiba.com.