2008 NFPA 1584 establishes the routine use of Pulse CO-Oximetry as a way to protect the lives of the nation’s firefighters from the dangers of CO Poisoning
IRVINE, Calif. — Masimo, the inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry and Measure - Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, announced today that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has included Carbon Monoxide (CO) screening by Pulse CO-Oximetry as part of a new national healthcare standard for firefighters potentially exposed to Carbon Monoxide poisoning. NFPA’s consensus codes and standards serve as the worldwide authoritative source on fire prevention and public safety — virtually every building, process, service, design, and installation in society today is affected by NFPA documents.
The new standard, which became effective December 31, 2007 and was recently published, establishes that “any firefighter exposed to CO or presenting with headache, nausea, shortness of breath, or gastrointestinal symptoms,” should be measured for CO poisoning by Pulse CO-Oximetry or other approved methods. It also requires every fire department to establish Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs) that outline uniform rehabilitation procedures for firefighters at incident scenes and training exercises.
Too often, even the most skilled first responders miss the chance to treat carbon monoxide poisoning early because, until Masimo invented Masimo Rainbow SET Pulse CO-Oximetry in 2005, there wasn’t a noninvasive way to detect elevated levels of CO in the blood. With the Masimo Rad-57 Pulse CO-Oximeter, fire fighters, EMS professionals and ER clinicians can easily detect carbon monoxide poisoning by applying a noninvasive LED-based sensor on the victims or themselves, allowing for prompt and possibly life-saving treatment that can also limit the likelihood of long-tern cardiac and neurological damage.
Studies have shown that even a single high level exposure, or prolonged exposure to low levels of CO, has the potential to cause long-term heart, brain and organ damage. Long-term effects of CO include: cardiac arrests, Parkinson-like syndromes affecting motor skills and speech, dementia, cortical blindness, acute renal failure, and muscle cell death.
“Often cited by attorneys within the legal system, NFPA standards represent complete industry consensus and are supported by a substantial amount of scientific or medical evidence,” said Mike McEvoy, EMS Director, Board of New York State Association of Fire Chiefs. “This new national standard adds considerable weight to growing industry guidance calling for CO screening by leading EMS, EMT and firefighter associations nationwide, including the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT), the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), and the National Association of EMS Educators (NAEMSE).”
Joe E. Kiani, Chairman and CEO of Masimo, stated “We applaud NFPA for making CO screening for firefighters a national standard with this latest revision of NFPA 1584 and for taking the lead in healthcare reform for all of North America’s firefighters. Establishing uniform standards is crucial to ensuring that the nation’s firefighters receive the proper care and attention required to help keep them safe, healthy and in peak condition to be able to meet the demands of their life-saving work. We are proud that our Pulse CO-Oximetry technology can play such a vital role within this standard and in the lives of our heroic public servants.”
A worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building, and life safety to the public since 1896, NFPA’s mission is to reduce the global burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. NFPA’s 300 codes and standards influence every building, process, service, design, and installation in the U.S. and many other countries. With a membership of more than 81,000 and over 80 national trade and professional organizations, NFPA is the authority on fire, electrical, and building safety. Copies of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Section 1584, Standard on the Rehabilitation Process for Members During Emergency Operations and Training Exercises, are now available through the NFPA.
About Masimo
Masimo 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, and with it virtually eliminated false alarms and increased pulse oximetry’s ability to detect life-threatening events. More than 100 independent and objective studies demonstrate that Masimo SET provides the most trustworthy SpO2 and pulse rate measurements even under the most difficult clinical conditions, including patient motion and low peripheral perfusion. In 2005, Masimo introduced Masimo Rainbow SET, a breakthrough noninvasive blood constituent monitoring platform that can measure many blood constituents that previously required invasive procedures. Rainbow SET continuously and noninvasively measures Carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO(TM)) and Methemoglobin (SpMet(TM)), Pleth Variability Index (PVI(TM)), in addition to Oxyhemoglobin (SpO2), Perfusion Index (PI) and pulse rate, 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 http://www.masimo.com/.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations about future events affecting us and are subject to uncertainties and factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control, including: risks related to our assumption that inclusion in the new 2008 NFPA 1584 as a national standard will serve to substantially increase sales or revenues for the company and risks related to our assumption that the Masimo Rad-57 Pulse CO-Oximeter will deliver a sufficient level of clinical improvement over alternative CO monitoring devices to allow for rapid adoption of the technology at hospitals, fire and rescue, EMT and EMS units, as well as other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 29, 2007, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 1, 2007. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, we do not know whether our expectations will prove correct. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. 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 quarter ended September 29, 2007, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under the federal securities laws.
Masimo, SET, Signal Extraction Technology, Improving Outcomes and Reducing Cost of Care by Taking Noninvasive Monitoring to New Sites and Applications, Rainbow, SpCO, SpMet, PVI and Pulse CO-Oximeter are trademarks or registered trademarks of Masimo Corporation.
Source: Masimo
Contact
Dana Banks of Masimo Corporation, +1-949-297-7348
Web site: http://www.masimo.com/