May 21 (San Diego Daily Transcript)

Cardio Dynamics International Inc. said Monday a study by the Mayo Clinic found that hypertension patients using the company's technology were better off than those that did not.

The independent study found that 65 percent of patients using the Sorrento Mesa-based company's heart monitor with prescribed medication were more likely to reach a targeted blood pressure level than those with regular treatment.

The monitor, called the BioZ, is a computer-based device that measures the change in blood volume and velocity in the aorta with each heartbeat. It is noninvasive and uses four sensor pads to monitor electrical currents in the body.

In a press release announcing the study's results, the Mayo Clinic said "noninvasive hemodynamic management achieved superior blood pressure levels and control rates, when compared to management by experienced hypertension clinicians."

The Mayo Clinic released the finding last week at a meeting of the American Society of Hypertension in San Francisco. The local company released it yesterday before the market opened.

Cardio Dynamics' stock opened Monday at $4.40 -- 10 cents above Friday's close. The company closed regular trading at $4.50 a share, an increase of more than 4.5 percent over Friday's close.

Michael Perry, chief executive of Cardio Dynamics, likened the importance of the study's results to finding the Holy Grail.

"This is a significant study for us because it is really the first outcome study where you can see clinical evidence of patients being treated better by utilizing the data our systems provide," Perry said.

The study looked at 104 patients with uncontrolled hypertension, commonly know as high blood pressure.

The Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic divided the group into two equal units and tested one group with regular drug treatment based on the advice of doctors and the other group with prescribed drugs based on the BioZ device.

Analyst Matt Desmond with Oregon-based RedChip.com, a research firm covering small-cap companies, said Cardio Dynamics had been working to expand the use of the BioZ.

"This study bears out that there's possibly a big opportunity for them in using it for the treatment of high blood pressure," he said.

Perry said the results should help sales to physicians. Cardio Dynamics has 35 salespeople primarily marketing the BioZ to cardiologists -- physicians that treat heart failure.

"There are 50 million (people) -- 10 times the size (of the population with congestive heart failure) -- with hypertension, and most of that is either undetected or uncontrolled," he said.

"This study has huge implications," Perry added.

Cardio Dynamics' stock has been on an upswing since it dipped below $3 in late March -- when the company announced first-quarter earnings. At the time, Cardio Dynamics reported the 13th consecutive month of increased sales on record numbers.

The company said the record $4 million in sales Cardio Dynamics tallied for the quarter was 51 percent more than the previous quarter. Last year, the company's sales totaled $13.1 million.

The company's second quarter ends May 31, and the results will be reported on June 21, Perry said.

Analyst Desmond expects the study will positively impact Cardio Dynamics' sales at the end of the year.

"I highly doubt it's going to bring an overnight increase in sales," Desmond said, "but I would expect it to help the company in their overall effort to build a sales base."