LOS ANGELES, CA (BUSINESS WIRE) September 28, 2006 -- SurgiCount Medical, a wholly owned subsidiary of Patient Safety Technologies, Inc. (AMEX:PST), announced today that it has entered into a three year agreement to incorporate its patented Safety-Sponge™ System for the prevention of retained sponges after surgery into 27 operating rooms at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida, Gainesville, the primary teaching hospital for the UF College of Medicine.  Shands continually receives recognition as one of the best hospitals in the nation by U.S. News and World Report because of its dedication to patient care, education and research.  SurgiCount has already begun shipping its patented gauze and lap sponges to this new customer.  Financial terms were not disclosed. "Patient safety is our highest priority, so we are pleased to incorporate the Safety-Sponge System into our standard of surgical care,” said Gail Avigne, RN, Nurse Manager.  "Our Safety-Sponge System has now been adopted by leading hospitals on the West Coast, the Midwest, and the East Coast," said Rick Bertran, President of SurgiCount Medical.  "We are proud to make this important technology available to more and more surgical patients.  With the many millions of surgical procedures performed each year in the U.S. alone, we believe our Safety-Sponge System represents an outstanding long-term growth opportunity."  SurgiCount Medical received FDA 510(k) clearance to market and sell its Safety-Sponge System in March 2006, and is the only computer-assisted system for counting sponges cleared by the FDA.  Shands at the University of FloridaShands at the University of Florida is a private, not-for-profit hospital that specializes in tertiary care for critically ill patients.  Shands at UF is one of the most comprehensive hospitals and one of the leading referral medical centers in the Southeast. Shands at UF is the primary teaching hospital for the UF College of Medicine. More than 500 physicians representing 110 medical specialties work with a team of healthcare professionals to provide quality care for patients. The faculty from the UF College of Medicine includes nationally and internationally recognized physicians whose expertise is supported by intensive research activities.  Shands' affiliation with the UF Health Science Center allows patients to benefit from the latest medical knowledge and technology.  About SurgiCount and the Safety-Sponge™ SystemSurgiCount Medical's Safety-Sponge System works much like a grocery store check-out system. Every surgical sponge and towel is pre-labeled by the manufacturer with an individual and unique bar coded label, and a scanning counter is used to read and record the labels. No change is required in a hospital's established counting procedures: sponges are counted and recorded by the system at the beginning of the procedure and again as they are removed from the patient. For more information, visit www.surgicountmedical.com. About Patient Safety Technologies, Inc. (AMEX:PST)Patient Safety Technologies, Inc. (PST) is a holding company that owns assets in various businesses. Its wholly-owned subsidiary, Surgicount Medical, Inc., is a developer and manufacturer of patient safety products and services. For more information on Patient Safety Technologies, Inc., please contact the company directly at 310-895-7750, or by email at info@patientsafetytechnologies.com or www.patientsafetytechnologies.com.