U.S. Department of Homeland Security Issues Federal Warning About Duty-related Carbon Monoxide (CO) Dangers for Firefighters
January 19 2010 - 11:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
FED Warns: Even Mild CO Poisoning Can Rob the Brain and Heart of
Vital Oxygen--Causing Life-threatening Complications IRVINE,
Calif., Jan. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Masimo (NASDAQ:MASI), the
inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry(TM) and Measure-Through Motion and
Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, today announced that the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security recently issued a Federal warning
about the increased risk of carbon monoxide exposure during the
winter season--urging heightened awareness and precaution for
firefighters, who are at increased risk of duty-related CO danger.
The life-threatening consequences of CO poisoning make immediate
detection, helped by the noninvasive Masimo Rad-57 Pulse
CO-Oximeter, a lifesaving necessity for fire and emergency
operations. The Department of Homeland Security's Emergency
Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center
(EMR-ISAC) INFOGRAM 1-10, warns that "below freezing temperatures
now occurring at many locations throughout the United States
potentially increase the risk for carbon monoxide exposure" as
people try to use alternative sources for heat. According to the
Federal warning, firefighters responding to fires and emergency
calls "should understand that CO poisoning is a danger at every
fire, regardless of its cause" and "its symptoms - headache,
dizziness, fatigue - are often absent or non-specific, making
on-scene awareness and detection difficult." Detection is important
because it "puts firefighters at significant risk because even mild
CO poisoning can deny the brain of oxygen. It can also rob the
heart of oxygen, causing immediate life-threatening complications."
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless toxic gas
that is extremely difficult to detect--making it the leading cause
of poisoning in industrialized countries. Prior to Masimo Rainbow
SET Pulse CO-Oximetry, an invasive blood draw followed by
laboratory blood gas analysis was the only reliable method for
diagnosing CO poisoning. Without immediate access to measure CO in
the blood, emergency first responders were at a critical
disadvantage. Today, the portable, handheld Masimo Rad-57 Pulse
CO-Oximeter provides an accurate and noninvasive way to detect
elevated CO levels in the bloodstream in just seconds--helping
emergency first responders to quickly and easily diagnose CO
poisoning on-the-scene and initiate prompt, lifesaving treatment.
The full warning can be found at:
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/infograms/1_10.pdf 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(TM), allowing noninvasive and continuous
monitoring of blood constituents that previously required invasive
procedures, including total hemoglobin (SpHb(TM)), oxygen content
(SpOC(TM)), carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO®), methemoglobin (SpMet®), and
PVI®, in addition to SpO2, pulse rate, and perfusion index (PI). In
2009, Masimo introduced Masimo Rainbow SET® Acoustic
Monitoring(TM), the first-ever noninvasive and continuous
monitoring of acoustic respiration rate (RRa). Masimo's Rainbow
platform offers a breakthrough in patient safety by helping
clinicians detect life-threatening conditions and helping guide
treatment options. 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 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
assumptions regarding the repeatability of case results, risks
related to our belief that Masimo Pulse CO-Oximetry/SpCO/Rad-57
provides unique clinical advantages as an immediate, accurate,
reliable early detector of elevated CO blood levels, and risks
related to our assumptions that Masimo SpCO represents a more
rapid, reliable and cost-effective clinical alternative for CO
screening, 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 http://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 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 Outcomes and
Reducing Cost of Care by Taking Noninvasive Monitoring to New Sites
and Applications, Rainbow, SpHb, SpOC, SpCO, SpMet, PVI, RRa,
Radical-7, Rad-87, Rad-57,Rad-9, Rad-8, Rad-5,Pulse CO-Oximetry and
Pulse CO-Oximeter are trademarks or registered trademarks of Masimo
Corporation. Contact: Dana Banks Masimo Corporation 949-297-7348
DATASOURCE: Masimo Corporation CONTACT: Dana Banks of Masimo
Corporation, +1-949-297-7348 Web Site: http://www.masimo.com/
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