New Evidence from London Ambulance Service Study Shows Five Masimo Rad-57 Pulse CO-Oximeters™ Detected 83 Unsuspected CO Poisonings in One Year—Over a Third of the UK Reported Annual CO Poisonings
Irvine, California – Masimo (NASDAQ: MASI), the inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry and Measure-Through Motion and Low-Perfusion pulse oximetry, today announced that in a newly published report, the UK House of Commons All Party Parliamentary Gas Safety Group (APPGSG) recommends handheld, noninvasive Pulse CO-Oximeters for Emergency Departments, primary care providers, and medical professionals who visit patients’ homes as a way to improve the country’s rate of detection and diagnosis of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.1 In addition, new evidence from a London Ambulance Service pre-hospital CO screening study shows that using the Masimo Rainbow SET Rad-57 Pulse CO-Oximeter significantly improved detection of CO poisoning at an earlier stage, while reducing unnecessary hospital transports and patients entering the Accidents & Emergency system.2
The UK House of Commons APPGSG report, ‘Raising Medical Professionals’ Awareness of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning,’ cites “increasing concern that little is being done to ensure that medical professionals are able to correctly diagnose the symptoms of carbon monoxide and treat victims effectively,” as the catalyst that ultimately resulted in the group’s January 2009 report and recommendations for action. The UK National Health Service (NHS) reports that hundreds of people are seriously injured or killed by CO poisoning in the UK each year.3 However, the APPGSG suggests that because of the lack of adequate testing, the actual number may be much higher. In addition, because the vast majority of cases simply go to their GP complaining of symptoms similar to the flu, the incidents of misdiagnosis by medical professionals are grossly under-reported.
“From the collated data, information gained during and prior to the feasibility study and correspondence with other interested agencies it is clear that there are gaping holes in the way that CO poisoning is recognised, monitored, treated, recorded and publicised in the United Kingdom,” stated Andrew Humber, Team Leader, London Ambulance Service.
While authors of the APPGSG report advise that “targeting improved diagnosis of CO poisoning is doubly important not just in containing the immediate effects of the illness, but also in reducing the need to direct resources toward tackling subsequent chronic or acute medical problems,” a year-long feasibility study also released in January 2009 by the London Ambulance Service demonstrates Masimo Rad-57’s ability to deliver these benefits.
In their report, ‘A Feasibility Study into Pre-Hospital Carbon Monoxide Monitoring of Patients,’ the London Ambulance Service equipped three First Response Units (FRU) and two Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) vehicles with Rad-57s to determine the benefits of pre-hospital CO monitoring and found that the ability to noninvasively screen patients on the scene made an important difference in six key ways:
1. Earlier detection & treatment of CO poisoning
2. Prevention of further harm, possible higher level intoxications & long-term effects of untreated exposure
3. Reduced clinical risk to the ambulance service & increased safety for the attending crew
4. Improved on-scene triage ensures the fastest & most appropriate care (A&E or Hyperbaric)
5. Reduction in unnecessary hospital transports & patients entering the A&E system
6. Increased efficiency gains as ambulances/crews returned to core duties earlier
Prior to this study, London Ambulance crews had no way to accurately diagnose CO poisoned patients. With just five Rad-57s, the London Ambulance Service was able to diagnose and treat 83 patients with unsuspected CO poisoning in a year, which is over a third of the reported annual number of CO poisonings in the UK. “On site monitoring of carbon monoxide blood levels mean that the paramedics are now able to triage patients at scene and receive expert advice at the scene, so that they take patients to the most appropriate A&E department and those with severe CO poisoning can now be referred directly to appropriate hyperbaric units,” stated Andrew Humber. “It is due to this that there has been a marked improvement in the time to treatment.”
Masimo Founder and CEO, Joe E. Kiani, stated: “The UK recommendations and London Ambulance Service study are a call to action for all medical and emergency professionals who see patients with potential carbon monoxide poisoning. We are proud that the technology we have invented and produced is helping these professionals improve and save lives.”
1 United Kingdom, House of Commons, All Party Parliamentary Gas Safety Group. “Raising Medical Professionals’ Awareness of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.” January 2009. http://www.gassafetygroup.org.uk
2 London Ambulance Service, NHS Trust. “A Feasibility Study into Pre-Hospital Carbon Monoxide Monitoring of Patients.” January 2009.
3 NHS Choices, “Carbon Monoxide Poisoning” http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/carbon-monoxide-poisoning/Pages/Introduction.aspx?url=Pages/what-is-it.aspx
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™, 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™), oxygen content (SpOC™), carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO®), methemoglobin (SpMet®), and PVI™, 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 belief that the positive results and clinical outcomes achieved in the London Ambulance Service study will be repeated in other studies, and risks related to our assumption that the Masimo Rad-57 will deliver a sufficient level of sensitivity and specificity for improved carbon monoxide detection over alternative methods to allow for rapid adoption of the technology, as well as other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 27, 2008, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on October 29, 2008, 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 Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 27, 2008, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under the applicable securities laws.