LAKE FOREST, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 27, 2004--I-Flow Corporation (NASDAQ: IFLO) today announced that the results of a study conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis examining surgical incision healing with ON-Q(R) PainBuster(R) have been presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting. Researchers at Washington University studied tissue oxygenation, an indicator of wound healing, in patients undergoing abdominal surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital to determine whether tissue oxygenation is enhanced when ON-Q is used. The investigators found that continuous post-surgical wound infiltration with a local anesthetic delivered by ON-Q PainBuster, specifically with the proprietary ON-Q Soaker Catheter, increases tissue oxygenation at the surgical site, which may enhance wound healing and prevent post-operative wound infections.

"When patients are recovering from surgery, we are always concerned about their wound healing," said Dr. Andrea Kurz, associate professor of anesthesiology at Washington University at the time of the study and now professor and chair of anesthesiology at the University of Berne, Switzerland. "We know that tissue oxygenation promotes faster wound healing, and the data in our study indicate that ON-Q could help increase oxygenation."

The study, presented this week in Las Vegas, reported on the wound healing results obtained from 45 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy surgery. The patients were randomized into groups--they all received ON-Q PainBuster with the unique ON-Q Soaker Catheter, some with continuous local anesthetic infusion and others with a placebo, and they all also had treatment for pain available with patient-controlled analgesia (narcotics). Subcutaneous tissue oxygenation was measured immediately after surgery in recovery and on the first post-operative day. The authors showed that tissue oxygenation increased by approximately 15-20 percent with continuous local anesthetic infusion.

"The presentation of these results represents a significant milestone for ON-Q. We have long theorized that ON-Q, when used with the ON-Q Soaker Catheter, could help with wound healing and with Dr. Kurz's results we are beginning to see this demonstrated clinically," said Donald M. Earhart, president and CEO of I-Flow Corporation. "The enhancement of wound healing could be an advantage of ON-Q that may be realized across all types of surgeries and with all kinds of patients. This is in addition to ON-Q's already recognized benefits of significantly reducing pain and narcotic use following surgery so patients get back to normal faster."

About ON-Q PainBuster

ON-Q is now labeled to significantly reduce pain and narcotics intake after surgery. ON-Q PainBuster is a simple yet elegant device that consists of a small balloon pump that holds a local anesthetic (a pain-numbing medicine) and delivers it through a tiny, specially-designed tube (catheter) directly into the surgical site. The proprietary ON-Q Soaker(TM) Catheter is designed to provide more even distribution of local anesthetic over a wider area, as compared to other catheters, because of its patented wicking capabilities.

ON-Q PainBuster delivers narcotic-free pain relief for many surgeries, including: cesarean section, hysterectomy, knee replacement, mastectomy, cardio-vascular/thoracic, foot and ankle and many cosmetic procedures. ON-Q PainBuster helps patients avoid the side effects of narcotics so they can get back to their normal lives faster. Currently, 39 studies on the use of ON-Q have been completed and published and more are underway to demonstrate the benefits of ON-Q in additional areas such as pediatrics and wound healing.

For more information about ON-Q, visit AskYourSurgeon.com or call 800-448-3569.

About I-Flow Corporation

I-Flow Corporation (iflo.com) designs, develops and markets technically advanced, low-cost drug delivery systems and services that are redefining the standard of care by providing life-enhancing, cost-effective solutions for pain relief.

I-Flow Corporation supported the research at Washington University by supplying ON-Q devices.

Certain disclosures made by the Company in this press release and in other reports and statements released by the Company are and will be forward-looking in nature, such as comments that express the Company's opinions about trends and factors that may impact future operating results. Disclosures that use words such as the Company "believes," "anticipates," or "expects" or use similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those expected, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to republish revised forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Readers are also urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by the Company in this release which seek to advise interested parties of the risks and other factors that affect the Company's business, as well as in the Company's periodic reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The risks affecting the Company's business include, among others: implementation of our direct sales strategy; dependence on our suppliers and distributors; reliance on the success of the home health care industry; our continuing compliance with applicable laws and regulations, such as the Food Drug and Cosmetics Act, and the FDA's concurrence with our management's subjective judgment on compliance issues; the reimbursement system currently in place and future changes to that system; competition in the industry; economic and political conditions in foreign countries; currency exchange rates; inadequacy of booked reserves; technological changes and product availability and acceptance. All such forward-looking statements, whether made in this release or elsewhere, should be considered in context with the various disclosures made by the Company about its business.

    CONTACT: Schwartz Communications
             Wendy Williams/Brian Bogie, 781-684-0770
             iflo@schwartz-pr.com
             or
             I-Flow Corporation
             Orlando Rodrigues, 949-206-2619
             orlandorodrigues@iflo.com

    SOURCE: I-Flow Corporation