CVDI To Develop Test Card To Monitor Knoll's Ancrod -
                     A New Treatment For Ischemic Stroke

    RALEIGH, N.C., May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardiovascular Diagnostics, Inc.,
(Nasdaq-NNM: CVDI) today announced that it has signed a development and
co-marketing agreement with Knoll AG of Ludwigshafen, Germany -- the
pharmaceutical subsidiary of BASF.  Under the agreement, CVDI will be paid
$500,000, based on milestones, to use its proprietary dry chemistry technology
(the Thrombolytic Assessment System, or TAS(TM)), to develop a rapid, point-
of-care ("POC") test to monitor treatment of ischemic stroke with Knoll's new
agent, Ancrod, currently in clinical trials in Europe and North America.

    Ancrod, a purified component developed from the venom of the Malayan pit
viper (Agkistrodan rhodostoma), removes fibrinogen (a natural protein which
augments clot formation) from the blood.  More than two million people in the
United States and Europe are afflicted by a stroke each year.  Approximately
80% of these cases are caused by a blood clot, or ischemia.
    Because Ancrod is a powerful drug which can reduce the level of fibrinogen
to the point of potentially causing bleeding, a rapid diagnostic test is
needed to help the physician maintain the patient's fibrinogen at a safe, but
effective level.  CVDI's flexible TAS technology platform provides rapid and
accurate bedside monitoring -- giving physicians the diagnostic tools to
control drug dosing within a narrow therapeutic range. The Company believes
that in order to accurately monitor a patient undergoing treatment with
Ancrod, physicians will need to utilize between five and ten of its TAS test
cards.  Comparable pricing of a laboratory fibrinogen test is in excess of
$10.
    CVDI has already developed another test card for Knoll which is in use in
clinical trials to monitor Knoll's proprietary anticoagulant drug, PEG-Hirudin
-- used primarily in cardiovascular procedures.  To date, CVDI has sold more
than 50 TAS analyzers and 30,000 test cards to Knoll for use in its initial
Phase II drug trials. Knoll expects to significantly expand these
anticoagulant trials this Fall.  Developing an additional card for another
Knoll therapeutic is an extension of CVDI's ongoing collaboration strategy to
provide rapid bedside monitoring to improve therapeutic efficacy.
    Commenting on this newly signed agreement, Dr. Norbert Bender, Vice
President of Research and Development, Cardiovascular Division at Knoll AG,
said, "In developing a rapid diagnostic test for Ancrod, it was natural for
Knoll to turn to CVDI because of the Company's success in developing an Ecarin
Clotting Time (ECT) Test card for monitoring another Knoll AG therapeutic
initiative, PEG-Hirudin. If a compound has a short half-life or a narrow
therapeutic window, then without proper monitoring, the physician could be at
risk of over-or under-dosing the patient. This is why a rapid bedside
monitoring method is critical, and CVDI's TAS monitoring method has proven a
good rapid diagnostic platform in the past."
    John Funkhouser, CVDI's Chief Executive Officer, noted "Proper monitoring
of drugs which exert powerful effects on the patient's coagulation system,
require POC tests which allow the physician to regulate drug therapy to
changing patient conditions on a timely basis.  This should result in improved
efficacy and reduced health care costs.  This is especially true with ischemic
stroke, which is a devastating illness with far-reaching health care costs."
    Mr. Funkhouser continued, "This collaboration with Knoll is another
example of the flexibility of the TAS technology platform to rapidly monitor
numerous therapeutics effecting coagulation. This represents CVDI's fourth
pharmaceutical collaboration to develop rapid monitoring tests to insure
efficacious use of developmental drugs with narrow therapeutic ranges. We are
excited about the potential of Ancrod as a standard of treatment for ischemic
stroke. CVDI's other collaboration partners include Bayer AG and Eli Lilly and
Company."
    Management went on to say that the test for monitoring Acrod's effect on
fibrinogen may also be useful in developing another test to monitor the level
of fibrinogen during lengthy surgical procedures such as heart bypass, and for
determining fibrinogen levels for diagnosis of blood coagulation disorders.
    CVDI's novel technology platform will enable the development of a
comprehensive menu of diagnostic tests and enables rapid development of new
specialty tests capable of monitoring both the coagulation (formation) and
lysis (dissolution) drugs, which are used in the treatment of heart attacks
and strokes, and in a variety of other medical procedures.
    To receive CVDI's latest news release and other corporate documents via
FAX- no cost-please dial 1-800-PRO-INFO. Use company code "011".
    This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future
events and the future performance of Cardiovascular Diagnostics that involve
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those projected in the forward-looking statements.  Information
concerning factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from
those in the forward-looking statements is contained in the Company's SEC
filings, including Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports.

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