Irvine, California January 9, 2007 - Masimo,
the inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry and Read-Through Motion and Low
Perfusion pulse oximetry, reported that results of a human volunteer
study published in the peer-reviewed journal, Anesthesiology, concluded
Masimo Rainbow SET technology accurately and reliably detects both
carbon monoxide and methemoglobin poisoning. The study's authors said
that the accuracy of this technology in measuring methemoglobin "is
approximately the same as the specified uncertainty of the (invasive)
laboratory CO-oximeters," adding that Masimo Rainbow SET technology
"represents a significant improvement in our oxygenation monitoring
capability."
1The new study was led by Steven J. Barker, PhD, MD, who is the Chair
of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Arizona and
has recently joined Masimo's Board of Directors. Ten volunteers
breathed 500 ppm carbon monoxide until their carboxyhemoglobin
(hemoglobin contaminated by carbon monoxide) levels reached 15%, and
ten different volunteers received 300 mg of intravenous sodium nitrite
to induce methemoglobin, a dysfunctional form of hemoglobin that
starves tissues of oxygen. All subjects were instrumented with arterial
cannulas and six Masimo Rainbow SET-enabled monitoring devices.
Arterial blood was analyzed by three laboratory CO-Oximeters, and the
resulting carboxyhemoglobin and methemoglobin measurements were
compared with the corresponding pulse oximeter readings. The results
showed the Masimo Rainbow SET technology measured carboxyhemoglobin
with an uncertainty of ?2% within the range of 0-15%, and it measured
methemoglobin with an uncertainty of ?0.5% within the range of 0-12%.
The University of Arizona researchers concluded that Masimo Rainbow
SET technology "seems to be a major advance in pulse oximetry. It is
the first commercially produced pulse oximeter to use multiple
wavelengths of light, and we have found it to be capable of detecting
and measuring both methemoglobin and carboxyhemoglobin."
The Arizona study reinforces clinical studies presented at last
month's American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC) Congress in Las
Vegas. Studies released at the AARC highlighted the significant
clinical benefits to be gained by noninvasively screening patients for
carbon monoxide poisoning using the "rapid," "inexpensive" and
"reliable" Masimo Rainbow SET Pulse CO-Oximetry technology.
In one study released at the AARC, which included more than 5,000
patients, a research team led by Dr. Robert Partridge and Dr. Gregory
Jay of Rhode Island Hospital at Brown University Medical School
concluded that the use of Masimo Rainbow SET as a noninvasive test for
carbon monoxide toxicity (COT) can effectively and efficiently be
performed at ED triage, and that "unsuspected COT may be identified
using noninvasive COHb screening and the prevalence of COT may be
higher than previously recognized."2
Additionally, a group of researchers at the Erlanger Health System
in Chattanooga, TN used the Masimo Rainbow SET technology to assess CO
levels on 136 patients who presented to the outpatient pulmonary lab
for arterial blood gas (ABG) draws to evaluate patient's smoking
history as well as 21 patients who presented with burns and inhalation
injuries in the ED who also received ABGs.?They concluded that the
technology was "quite reliable at detecting elevated CO levels in
patients presenting to the pulmonary lab or emergency department."3
?BR>About Masimo
Masimo
develops innovative monitoring technologies that significantly improve
patient care-helping solve "unsolvable" problems. In 1995, the company
debuted Read-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, known as
SET, and with it virtually eliminated false alarms and increased pulse
oximetry's ability to detect life-threatening events. More than 100
independent clinical studies have confirmed that Masimo SET technology
allows clinicians to accurately monitor blood oxygen saturation in
critical care situations-establishing the technology as the "gold
standard" pulse oximetry and substantially contributing to improved
patient outcomes. In 2005 Masimo introduced Masimo Rainbow SET Pulse
CO-Oximetry, which, for the first time, noninvasively monitors the
level of carbon monoxide and methemoglobin in the blood, allowing early
detection and treatment of potentially life-threatening conditions.
Masimo, founded in 1989, has the mission of "Improving Patient Outcome
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.
Contact:
Tom McCall
Masimo Corporation
949-297-7075
1 Measurement of Carboxyhemoglobin and Methemoglobin
by Pulse Oximetry, A Human Volunteer Study: Steven J. Barker, Ph.D.,
M.D., Jeremy Curry, M.D., Daniel Redford, M.D., Scott Morgan, B.S.:
Anesthesiology 2006; 105:1-1
2 Non-Invasive Carboxyhemoglobin Monitoring:
Screening Emergency Department Patients for Carbon Monoxide
Exposure.?Partridge R, Chee KJ, Suner S, Sucov A, Jay G.?Department of
Emergency Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown Medical School,
Providence, RI.
3 Evaluation of a New Pulse CO-Oximeter: Noninvasive
Measurement of Carboxyhemoglobin in the Outpatient Pulmonary Lab and
Emergency Departments.?Layne T, Snyder C, Brooks D, Enjeti.?Pulmonary
Physiology Department, Erlanger Health System, Chattanooga, TN.
Masimo, SET, Signal Extraction Technology, Radical,
Radical-7, Rad57, APOD, and Improving and Reducing Cost of Care by
Taking Noninvasive Monitoring to New Sites and Applications are
registered trademarks of Masimo Corp. Rainbow, SpCO, SpMet and Pulse
CO-Oximeter are trademarks of Masimo Corp.