Synthetic Blood International to Announce Oxycyte Test Results at American Society of Anesthesiology Annual Meeting

COSTA MESA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 26, 2004--Synthetic Blood International Inc. (OTCBB:SYBD), announced today that the results of an important animal study with Oxycyte(TM), the company's perfluorocarbon (PFC) based blood substitute and therapeutic oxygen carrier, will be reported at the American Society of Anesthesiology annual meeting October 23 - 27, 2004 in Las Vegas. The study was done at the State University of New York at Syracuse and will be presented by Enrico Camporesi, M.D., Chairman of the medical school's anesthesiology department.

The study by Dr. Camporesi examined for the first time how cerebral (brain) blood flow (CBF) in rats was effected by replacing lost blood with either albumin or Oxycyte. This type of study is important in determining if Oxycyte administration to cardiopulmonary bypass patients increased cerebral blood flow, which would increase the risk of stroke.

"When an increased occurrence of stroke was seen with another PFC blood substitute in a Phase III cardiopulmonary bypass study, some experts thought it might have been caused in part by an increase in cerebral blood flow," said Robert Nicora, SYBD president.

The study involved male rats undergoing stepwise bleeding under anesthesia. CBF increased significantly in the rats that received albumin. In rats that received Oxycyte, CBF initially increased slightly, but thereafter remained stable and then decreased as the level of red cells and oxygen in the cerebral blood reached very low levels.

"I interpret the results to indicate that during low hematocrit states, cerebral blood flow attempts to self-regulate and blood vessel dilation occurs. The addition of fluorocarbon limits increased blood flow, possibly because of better tissue oxygenation," said Camporesi.

The company indicated that another animal study of Oxycyte in a rat model of cardiopulmonary bypass, another prerequisite for the Phase II cardiopulmonary bypass study, is nearing completion. The results of this study will be announced as soon as they are available.

In addition to Oxycyte, SYBD is developing Fluorovent(TM), a liquid ventilation product that may be useful in treating respiratory disorders in adults and children. The company is also developing an implantable glucose biosensor for the continuous monitoring of blood glucose levels in diabetics.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities.

The company is traded under the symbol SYBD on the OTC Electronic Bulletin Board. SYBD is headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif. The company's Web site is www.sybd.com.

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