Noninvasive Carbon Monoxide (CO) Screening with Masimo Pulse CO-Oximetry(TM) Helps Detect and Treat Victims While Identifying Source of CO Poisoning

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Masimo (Nasdaq: MASI), the inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry(TM) and Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, today announced that a new case study, published in the January-March 2010 issue of Prehospital Emergency Care, showed that noninvasive screening with Masimo carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO) provided emergency first responders with immediate and accurate detection of CO-poisoned employees and enabled the identification of the source of the poisoning at a manufacturing plant. The early detection and subsequent identification of the CO source helped avert a potential disaster that may have injured or cost the lives of numerous employees and overwhelmed both the local emergency medical services (EMS) system and area hospitals.(1)

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless toxic gas that is extremely difficult to detect--making it the leading cause of poisoning in industrialized countries. Prior to Masimo Rainbow SET Pulse CO-Oximetry, an invasive blood draw followed by laboratory blood gas analysis was the only reliable method for diagnosing CO poisoning. Without immediate access to measure CO in the blood, emergency first responders were at a critical disadvantage. Today, the portable, handheld Masimo Rad-57 Pulse CO-Oximeter provides an accurate and noninvasive way to detect elevated CO levels in the bloodstream in just seconds--allowing emergency first responders to quickly and easily diagnose CO poisoning on-the-scene and initiate prompt, lifesaving treatment.

The published case report describes how a suburban fire department and EMS unit in Rock Springs, Georgia responded to a call for a sick employee at a local manufacturing plant. The first responders combined the use of both atmospheric CO testing and Pulse CO-Oximetry to successfully diagnose the cause of the employee's illness and identify the source of the poisoning. Upon arrival, firefighters initially used an atmospheric gas monitor to measure the amount of CO gas circulating in the air and found that the air inside the plant contained elevated, unsafe levels of CO (between 26-70 PPM). However, firefighters searching the building were unable to identify its source. All employees working inside the plant were evacuated and screened for CO poisoning by measuring their SpCO levels using the Masimo Rad-57. Although the source of the poisoning was still unknown, firefighters promptly treated employees with elevated SpCO levels--ranging from 5-18%--on the scene with high concentration oxygen.

While the most obvious source appeared to be a recently installed industrial furnace in the foundry area, no detectable atmospheric CO levels were present anywhere in the area. Although atmospheric CO levels were highest in the assembly area, there were no CO sources in that part of the building. In a second attempt to locate the source of the poisoning, firefighters marked the locations of the employees with the highest SpCO levels on a map of the plant and found that they were all working immediately under air conditioning vents in the assembly area. After tracing the air conditioning vents, firefighters determined that exhaust from the furnace in the foundry were being drawn into a nearby intake vent for the air conditioning system.

According to the lead author of the case study, Bryan E. Bledsoe, DO, FACEP, "The measurement of SpCO levels via Pulse CO-Oximetry provided the missing link to a potentially disastrous puzzle. When initial atmospheric CO monitoring missed the mark--revealing high levels in an area where no CO source existed and the absence of CO in the area where the likely source was found--Masimo SpCO allowed emergency responders to instantly detect biological CO levels, initiate treatment of those in need, and promptly map the exposure point. This potentially saved countless lives while avoiding needless transport of large numbers of employees to area hospitals, preventing significant emergency department and EMS costs--and possibly leaving others in the community without emergency services."

Each year, the lifesaving accounts from fire departments and EMS professionals around the world showcase the importance of the Masimo Rainbow SET Pulse CO-Oximeter to their public safety efforts--helping to save lives, limit long-term brain and heart damage, and create efficiencies and cost savings in the care and delivery of emergency medical services. Most recently, thanks to the Masimo Rainbow SET Pulse CO-Oximeter and swift emergency intervention, more than 50 motel occupants and staff in North Carolina, over 40 families in Beijing, and numerous families in Alabama, Illinois, Colorado, and Washington were saved from becoming carbon monoxide-poisoning statistics.

Masimo Executive Vice President of Medical Affairs Dr. Michael O'Reilly, stated, "Whether suspected or unsuspected, CO poisoning presents a unique challenge to firefighters and EMS personnel who need to know immediately if elevated CO levels are in the bloodstream. However, because CO levels in the air of a particular area don't always correlate to the amount of poisoning in the blood and vice versa, Masimo SpCO is a vital compliment to atmospheric CO monitoring to help first responders save lives, avert mass casualty incidents, and alleviate cost and care burdens on the local emergency system."

(1) Bryan E. Bledsoe, Kevin Nowicki, James H. Creel Jr., Dale Carrison, Harry W. Severance. "Use of Pulse Co-Oximetry as a Screening and Monitoring Tool in Mass Carbon Monoxide Poisoning." Prehospital Emergency Care January-March 2010, Vol. 14, No. 1 : Pages 131-133

Available online at: http://tinyurl.com/spco-averts-mass-casualty

About Masimo

Masimo (Nasdaq: MASI) develops innovative monitoring technologies that significantly improve patient care--helping solve "unsolvable" problems. In 1995, the company debuted Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, known as Masimo SET®, which virtually eliminated false alarms and increased pulse oximetry's ability to detect life-threatening events. More than 100 independent and objective studies demonstrate Masimo SET provides the most reliable SpO2 and pulse rate measurements even under the most challenging clinical conditions, including patient motion and low peripheral perfusion. In 2005, Masimo introduced Masimo Rainbow SET® Pulse CO-Oximetry(TM), a breakthrough noninvasive blood constituent monitoring platform that can measure many blood constituents that previously required invasive procedures. Masimo Rainbow SET continuously and noninvasively measures total hemoglobin (SpHb(TM)), oxygen content (SpOC(TM)), carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO®), methemoglobin (SpMet®), PVI®, and acoustic respiration rate (RRa(TM)), in addition to oxyhemoglobin (SpO2), pulse rate (PR), and perfusion index (PI), allowing early detection and treatment of potentially life-threatening conditions. Founded in 1989, Masimo has the mission of "Improving Patient Outcomes and Reducing Cost of Care by Taking Noninvasive Monitoring to New Sites and Applications." Additional information about Masimo and its products may be found at www.masimo.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, in connection with the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations about future events affecting us and are subject to risks and uncertainties, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control and could cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in our forward-looking statements as a result of various risk factors, including, but not limited to: risks related to our assumptions regarding the repeatability of case report results, risks related to our belief that Masimo SpCO provides unique clinical advantages as an immediate, accurate, reliable early detector of elevated CO blood levels, and risks related to our assumptions that Masimo SpCO represents a more rapid, reliable and cost-effective clinical alternative for CO screening, as well as other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of our most recent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which may be obtained for free at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, we do not know whether our expectations will prove correct. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of today's date. We do not undertake any obligation to update, amend or clarify these forward-looking statements or the "Risk Factors" contained in our most recent reports filed with the SEC, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under the applicable securities laws.

    Contact:
    Dana Banks
    Masimo Corporation
    949-297-7348

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SOURCE Masimo Corporation