IRVINE, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/02/15 --
The world-renowned Illinois Fire Service Institute has become the site of the first program in the nation to train firefighters on new safety standards designed to better protect firefighters from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, including use of Masimo's (NASDAQ: MASI) first and only FDA-cleared arterial blood CO monitor, SpCO® technology, to noninvasively monitor CO levels in the blood.
Hosted by the City of Champaign (Ill.) Fire Department in cooperation with the Illinois Fire Service Institute, this program set the course for national training efforts. Hundreds of firefighters from the Champaign Fire Department and across Illinois recently took part in a three-day training course, triggered by the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) newly updated Fire Rehabilitation Standard (NFPA 1584), which requires firefighters exposed to smoke at incident scenes and during training to be assessed for CO poisoning. Randolph Mantooth, a national advocate for CO monitoring and firefighter safety who is recognized for his role as Los Angeles County firefighter/paramedic John Gage in the television show, "Emergency!", delivered the opening remarks for the course. With the support of the Congressional Fire Services Institute and other organizations, Masimo is helping departments and agencies nationwide implement the new standard through peer-reviewed training programs.
Exposure to CO -- a tasteless, odorless, invisible gas -- puts firefighters at significant risk, as even mild CO poisoning can cause mental confusion, which can lead to poor decision-making that puts both the exposed firefighter and others in jeopardy.1 CO poisoning also poses long-term health risks. Heart injury is a frequent consequence of moderate to severe CO poisoning,2 while consistent exposure to CO poisoning may cause long-term heart and neurological damage.3 CO poisoning is often misdiagnosed because symptoms are similar to the flu.4
Masimo's rainbow® SET technology provides noninvasive carboxyhemoglobin saturation (SpCO), a measure of CO in the blood, from a single multi-wavelength finger sensor that also provides two other vital signs measurements required by the NFPA 1584 standard, oxygen saturation (SpO2) and pulse rate.
Gary Ludwig, fire chief of the Champaign Fire Department and well-known author and speaker, said, "The training that was delivered was invaluable. I've heard nothing but positive comments from the firefighters who took the class, and we were particularly impressed with the ability to noninvasively monitor CO levels at the scene. We all believe that firefighters should go home at the end of their shift. This important class will help us to make sure we are rehabbing and medically monitoring our firefighters during operations."
@champaignfire
SpCO is not intended as a standalone diagnostic test. Laboratory testing should be performed prior to diagnosis.
1 Jakubowski G. FireRescue Magazine. 2004; 22(11):52-55.
2 Henry C. et al. "Myocardial injury and long-term mortality following moderate to severe carbon monoxide poisoning."
JAMA, January 2006, 295(4);398-402.
3 Bledsoe BE. Journal of Emergency Medical Services. 2007; 32:54-59.
4 Varon J. et al. Carbon monoxide poisoning: A review for clinicians. J Emerg Med 1999; 17(1):87-93.
About Masimo:
Masimo (NASDAQ: MASI) is a global leader in innovative noninvasive 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 have shown that Masimo SET® outperforms other pulse oximetry technologies, even under the most challenging clinical conditions, including patient motion and low peripheral perfusion. In 2005, Masimo introduced rainbow SET® Pulse CO-Oximetry technology, allowing noninvasive and continuous monitoring of blood constituents that previously could only be measured invasively, including total hemoglobin (SpHb®), oxygen content (SpOC™), carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO®), methemoglobin (SpMet®), and Pleth Variability Index (PVI®), in addition to SpO2, pulse rate, and perfusion index (PI). Additional information about Masimo and its products may be found at www.masimo.com. @masimoinnovates
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 belief that Masimo SpCO will provide an accurate and effective noninvasive method of screening for CO poisoning, risks related to our assumptions of the repeatability of clinical results obtained, and risks related to our assumptions that Masimo SET® pulse oximetry technology improves patient outcomes, 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 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.
Masimo, SET, Signal Extraction Technology, Improving Patient Outcome and Reducing Cost of Care... by Taking Noninvasive Monitoring to New Sites and Applications, rainbow, SpHb, SpOC, SpCO, SpMet, PVI are trademarks or registered trademarks of Masimo.
Media Contact:
Mike Drummond
Masimo
Phone: (949) 297-7434
Email: mdrummond@masimo.com
Source: Masimo