SonoSite Begins International Shipments of New EDGE Ultrasound System

BOTHELL, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

SonoSite, Inc. SONO, the world leader and specialist in hand-carried ultrasound for the point-of-care, announced it has received CE Marking (Conformité Européenne) in the European Union to market its next generation point-of-care product: EDGE™ ultrasound system. The EDGE system is currently available for sale in the U.S., following receipt of FDA Premarket Notification 510(k) clearance in November. SonoSite is now commencing international customer deliveries.

Engineered with new state-of-the-art technology, the EDGE ultrasound system takes point-of- care ultrasound to a whole new level of clinical performance and enables physicians to deliver the highest standard of patient care by driving greater efficiencies and the potential for improved outcomes in the hospital and office.

The EDGE ultrasound was formally introduced this fall at medical meetings and congresses in Europe and Australia. Physicians positively responded to the system:

“As a faithful SonoSite user, I want the company's products to remain true to its core elements, namely user friendliness, simplicity of use and rapid acquisition of a great image,” said Amit Pawa, MD, Anesthesiologist Consultant, Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. “The EDGE system clearly accomplishes this while looking futuristic, sleek and sophisticated. Physicians will also benefit from the back-lit screen and wipe-able keypad. Overall, the image quality is superior and I can't wait to use it in clinical practice.”

“I always expect SonoSite's systems to have an innovative design, but now that I have just seen the EDGE system and I can say the name says it all,” said Guillermo Álvarez Rey, MD, AMS Sports Medicine Center, Málaga, Spain. “It is cutting-edge and marks a new standard for all hand-carried ultrasound systems on the market. Its design is elegant, modern, compact and robust. The large image size is excellent and I was surprised by the soft touch of the keypad. As a musculoskeletal physician, I use the HFL50 transducer frequently and was amazed at the better definition of the tissue, especially when imaging the nervous system; it's great!”

“With the new EDGE system, SonoSite once more demonstrates its outstanding performance in image quality,” said Med Wolf Armbruster, MD, Chief Physician, Clinic of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Management, Unna, Germany. “While using a linear probe on other ultrasound products, deeper tissue structures can hardly be seen, but the EDGE system produces images of high contrast at depth. Fascias are visible and clear, and detailed and difficult imaging areas are virtually eliminated, which is especially helpful for neurosonography. With SonoSite's well-known reliability and robustness, the new system design and outstanding image quality makes the EDGE product the best hand-carried ultrasound system available for anesthesiology.”

Visualize with Greater Confidence

For overall improved detail and contrast resolution, the EDGE ultrasound system is engineered with new proprietary imaging algorithms that reduce speckle noise. The system also boasts a high luminance LED, high resolution 12 inch display, making it easier for clinicians to see the ultrasound image from across the bed during procedures.

The EDGE system also features a sealed silicone keypad for a new level of clean-ability – reinforcing SonoSite's ongoing commitment to assist medical facilities in the reduction of hospital spread infections.

Product and Transducer Versatility

For departmental flexibility, the EDGE system's transducers are compatible with SonoSite's M-Turbo® and S Series™ systems. At introduction, the EDGE ultrasound is available with a complement of thirteen transducers to support a wide range of examinations and procedures including thoracic assessment for pathology, vascular access, needle aspirations and injections, as well as abdominal, cardiac, nerve, OB/Gyn, musculoskeletal, small parts and vascular scanning.

The SonoSite Performance and Durability Standard

Dedicated to providing the most robust products, the EDGE ultrasound system and transducers are the latest products to pass SonoSite's rigorous durability standard– the one meter drop test. With a highly integrated architecture, magnesium shell and new aluminum core, the EDGE system can withstand the harshest and most demanding clinical environments. Also, the EDGE system weighs less than 4.5 kilograms and includes our industry leading 5-year warranty.

For more information about the EDGE system, visit www.sonosite.com/products.

About SonoSite

SonoSite, Inc. (www.sonosite.com) is the innovator and world leader in bedside and point-of-care ultrasound and an industry leader in ultra high-frequency micro-ultrasound technology and impedance cardiography equipment. Headquartered near Seattle, the company is represented by ten subsidiaries and a global distribution network in over 100 countries. SonoSite's small, lightweight systems are expanding the use of ultrasound across the clinical spectrum by cost-effectively bringing high-performance ultrasound to the point of patient care.

Forward-looking Information and the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995

Certain statements in this press release relating to the market acceptance of our products, possible future sales relating to expected orders, and our future financial position and operating results are “forward-looking statements” for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of our management at the time the statements are made and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements are not guaranties of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on potentially inaccurate assumptions. Factors that could affect the rate and extent of market acceptance of our products, the receipt of expected orders, and our financial performance include our ability to successfully manufacture, market and sell our ultrasound systems, our ability to accurately forecast customer demand for our products, our ability to manufacture and ship our systems in a timely manner to meet customer demand, variability in quarterly results caused by the timing of large project orders from governmental or international entities and the seasonality of hospital purchasing patterns, timely receipts of regulatory approvals to market and sell our products, regulatory and reimbursement changes in various national health care markets, constraints in government and public health spending, the ability of our distribution partners and other sales channels such as the physician office sales force to market and sell our products, the impact of patent litigation, our ability to execute our acquisition strategy, the effect of transactions and activities associated with our issuance of senior convertible debt in July 2007 on the market price of our common stock, and as well as other factors contained in the Item 1A. “Risk Factors” section of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as updated by our most recent quarterly reports filed on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We caution readers not to place undue reliance upon these forward-looking statements that speak only as to the date of this release. We undertake no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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