Innovation of the Year: Littmann Electronic Stethoscope Model 3200 with Zargis Cardioscan software

3M Health Care and Zargis Medical, a majority-owned subsidiary of Speedus Corp. (Nasdaq:SPDE), announced today that the 3M™ Littmann^® Electronic Stethoscope Model 3200 with Zargis Cardioscan^™ software was named Popular Science’s “Innovation of the Year.” This prestigious honor, part of the publication’s annual “Best of What’s New Awards,” highlights outstanding innovation, vision and execution in technologic, scientific and medical advances for the year.

“Pairing the Littmann Electronic Stethoscope Model 3200 with Zargis Cardioscan software is a gigantic step forward in changing the way clinicians listen to and interpret heart sounds,” said Debra Rectenwald, vice president and general manager, 3M Infection Prevention division. “This award is a testament to the spirit that drives 3M’s innovation to develop and create new ways to improve the delivery of healthcare.”

“Together, 3M and Zargis took the basic electronic stethoscope and transformed it into an advanced clinical tool that can improve diagnostic capabilities,” said John Kallassy, chief executive officer of Zargis Medical. “Cardioscan is a breakthrough in medical technology that has the potential to reduce unnecessary medical referrals while improving outcomes at the same time.”

The Littmann Electronic Stethoscope Model 3200 is the first electronic stethoscope featuring Bluetooth technology, which wirelessly transfers heart, lung and other body sounds from the chestpiece to Zargis Cardioscan or Zargis StethAssist^™ software for analysis. The stethoscope and Cardioscan software combination is designed to help clinicians identify suspected heart murmurs and differentiate between those that should be referred for echocardiography and those that should not, based on guidelines issued jointly by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. Based on the software analysis and their own assessment, physicians can then choose to refer patients for an echocardiogram test, which are conclusive, but are also very expensive.

“For 22 years, Popular Science has honored the innovations that surprise and amaze us—those that make a positive impact on our world today and challenge our views of what’s possible in the future,” said Mark Jannot, Editor-in-Chief of Popular Science. “The Best of What’s New Award is the magazine’s top honor, and the 100 winners—chosen from among thousands of entrants—represent the highest level of achievement in their fields.”

This is the second year in a row a 3M product has received distinction from the publication. In 2008, the company’s MPro 100, a hand held projector was a “Grand Award” winner in the Gadgets category.