FiReGlobal : West Coast to Showcase Groundbreaking Patient Monitoring Technology

FRIDAY HARBOR, WA--(Marketwire - October 7, 2009) - FiReGlobal : West Coast is proud to announce that Hoana Medical, Inc. has been selected as a FiReStar company to be featured at the FiReGlobal : West Coast conference. FiReStar companies, both local and global, are pre-selected based on their potential to bring positive change to the world. These companies will be showcased throughout the conference, and at a FiReStar reception, during which local and global investors will be given the chance to meet company officers.

Hoana, a privately held medical device company, developed the revolutionary LifeBED™ Patient Vigilance System, which uses bold new technology to non-intrusively collect patient vital signs -- without any connection to the patient. The LifeBed provides non-contact measurement of patient vital signs using sensors embedded in a hospital mattress coverlet, eliminating the need to attach sensors, electrodes, cuffs or other devices directly to the patient. Used by more than 35,000 patients to date, LifeBed originated as a Medevac ambulatory monitoring system. Its superior technology was able to accurately detect patients' heart and respiratory rates in Medevac Black Hawk helicopters through full body armor in spite of the extreme background noise and vibration.

"A major concern in acute-care hospitals is patient safety, where the odds of an accidental death are about 1 in 200 (about 0.5%). The LifeBed finds patients in trouble before it's too late -- providing the patient with a new lease on life. Every story we hear of a 'life saved' is a magical event," said Patrick K. Sullivan, CEO and President of Hoana Medical, Inc.

The FiReGlobal : West Coast conference will take place October 15th at the Seattle Four Seasons Hotel. It is the first regional version of the renowned Future in Review™ annual global technology conference, which the Economist calls "the best technology conference in the world." FiReGlobal : West Coast will showcase a world-class gathering of local and global thought leaders in technology and economics through a series of interviews and onstage conversations. In a move beyond current tech conferences, FiReGlobal : West Coast has overlaid regional problems nominated by local leaders, to be solved through the collaboration of local Chief Technology Officers prior to the conference.

"Healthcare needs to turn from unneeded, costly, extraneous tests, to devices and technologies which provide real care and protection. Hoana is a pioneer in this effort," said Mark Anderson, CEO of SNS, Chair of FiRe and FiReGlobal : West Coast.

Other speakers will include Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of Dell; Irwin Jacobs, Founder of Qualcomm; RealNetworks Founder, Chairman and CEO Rob Glaser; Nobel Laureate Lee Hartwell, President and Director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Steve Reynolds, CEO of Puget Sound Energy; Washington State Commerce Department Director Rogers Weed; Larry Smarr, Director of the UCSD California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology; John Delaney, UW Professor of Oceanography and Director of the Regional Scale Nodes Program; and Mark Anderson.

To register, go to www.futureinreview.com/global/wc.

Strategic News Service was founded by Mark Anderson in 1995 as the first paid online news service. Since its inception, SNS has proven the most accurate predictive newsletter covering the computer and telecom industries. Its subscribers include top managers at technology companies across the globe, including Microsoft, Dell, HP, Cisco, Intel, Sun, Google, and Telstra.

SNS has been operating the annual FiRe Conference for seven years. The Economist calls FiRe "the best technology conference in the world." FiRe exposes world experts and participants to new ideas, producing an accurate portrait of the future and focuses on creating technology solutions to current local and global problems. FiRe 2010 will take place May 11-14, 2010 at Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes, CA. For more information to go www.futureinreview.com.

Future in Review™ is a Strategic News Service™ conference. Future in Review™ and Strategic News Service™ are registered international trademarks. The SNS newsletter is the most accurate publicly ranked predictive newsletter in computing and communications.

Websites: www.stratnews.com, www.futureinreview.com, www.futureinreview.com/global/wc

Contact Information: Press Contact: Shane Elben Strategic News Service FiReGlobal : West Coast P.O. Box 1969 Friday Harbor, WA Tel. 360 378 8628 Email: Shane@stratnews.com