Masimo SET pulse oximetry technology implemented in Childrens Hospital Los Angeles

Aug 26 2009

Masimo (Nasdaq: MASI), the inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry(TM) and Measure-Through Motion and Low-Perfusion pulse oximetry, announced today that Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of 'America's Best Children's Hospitals', has completed its system-wide conversion to Masimo SET pulse oximetry technology.

Masimo SET has been clinically proven in more than 100 independent and objective studies to provide the most trustworthy SpO2 and pulse rate measurements, even under the most difficult clinical conditions of patient motion and low peripheral perfusion--conditions common to infants and children. Its unmatched sensitivity and specificity, combined with a validated accuracy to oxygen saturations as low as 60% on patients, including cyanotic patients, helps clinicians keep their tiniest, most vulnerable patients safe. Masimo SET pulse oximetry aids the detection of congenital heart disease (CHD) and helps significantly reduce eye damage and blindness caused by retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)--one of the most common causes of visual impairment in neonatal patients.

According to Randall Wetzel, M.D., Chair of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, "Standardizing to Masimo SET allows us to more accurately assess oxygenation in children to detect life-threatening conditions earlier. It also provides a unique platform for growth with the opportunity to use Masimo Rainbow SET noninvasive measurements, such as continuous hemoglobin measurement. The ability to measure hemoglobin continuously during surgery will enable us to identify trends earlier and to more quickly and effectively manage blood and fluid administration interoperatively and in the ICUs."

Masimo Founder and CEO, Joe E. Kiani, stated, "We are happy that Childrens Hospital Los Angeles has selected Masimo SET as their pulse oximetry technology and Pulse CO-Oximetry platform. Given what our technology has been proven to do for patients, it's always gratifying to convert a hospital to Masimo, but it is especially gratifying when it is one of the world's best children's hospitals right here in Southern California."

Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, treats over 93,000 children each year who need care that is so complex, it can only be provided by medical experts. With one of the largest dedicated neonatal/pediatric transport programs in the nation and the only dedicated Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit on the west coast, Childrens Hospital provides innovative therapies for high-risk infants transferred from other hospitals throughout Southern California and beyond.

In the past five years, approximately 900 hospitals in the U.S. have converted completely to Masimo. In addition, more than half of the top hospitals listed on the U.S. News & World Report 'Best Hospitals Honor Roll'--including four of the top five--rely on Masimo SET pulse oximetry to provide the best care to their patients.