• Vasomedical (Westbury, New York), focused on the non-invasive treatment and management of cardiovascular diseases, said that results of its PEECH (Prospective Evaluation of EECP in Congestive Heart Failure) trial will be presented Tuesday at the American College of Cardiology annual scientific sessions in Orlando, Florida. EECP (enhanced external counterpulsation) therapy is a non-invasive treatment option for patients with congestive heart failure. The therapy augments coronary blood flow, reduces the workload of the heart and improves overall vascular function. The PEECH trial is intended to evaluate the efficacy of EECP therapy in the most prevalent types of heart failure patients. One hundred eighty seven congestive heart failure patients in 29 centers were enrolled in the trial. Patients were randomized to receive EECP therapy and optimal medical therapy, or optimal medical therapy alone. In addition to the PEECH trial results, EECP therapy will be featured in three other scientific presentations.

• VISX (Santa Clara, California) reported that it has received FDA approval to market and sell Iris Registration technology, the first fully automated method of aligning and registering wavefront corrections for CustomVue treatment. Iris Registration is designed to replace the current means of registration, which involves manual marking of the eye to assess rotational movement. The hardware and software product enhancement is a field installed upgrade to the VISX WaveScan and VISX STAR laser systems. "As shown in FDA clinical studies, CustomVue has the potential to offer vision better than what can be achieved with glasses and contacts," said VISX Chairman and CEO Liz Davila. The company said it intends to begin U.S. shipment of Iris Registration in the second quarter.

• Zila (Phoenix), maker of an oral screening device, ViziLite, reported that in a newsletter issued by what it termed "an independent industry-influencer," dentist evaluators expressed confidence in ViziLite as a "non-invasive, easy-to-use" screening device for oral abnormalities. The company said the published review also acknowledged that "investigating suspicious lesions is potentially life-saving," lending further credibility to ViziLite as a screening technology for identifying oral lesions that could lead to more serious pathology. Zila said it has introduced ViziLite to several dental teaching institutions, where training in the application of this technology has been integrated into the curriculum. Zila said that later this year, it will launch its new lesion marking device containing Zila Tolonium Chloride (ZTC), which will be marketed as an adjunct to ViziLite. The technology will enable dental professionals to mark suspicious lesions for further examination after they have been identified during a ViziLite exam. The marking device containing ZTC received clearance by the FDA earlier this month, and represents the first product containing ZTC to be sold in the U.S.