Delaware Becomes the First to Equip Every Fire District in the State With Most Advanced Noninvasive Carbon Monoxide Screening Technology

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Odessa Fire Company in the State of Delaware and Masimo (Nasdaq: MASI), the inventor of Masimo rainbow Pulse CO-Oximetry™, Masimo rainbow Acoustic Monitoring™, and Masimo SET® Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, today jointly announced that 150 Masimo Rad-57® Pulse CO-Oximeters will be distributed to every fire district in the state of Delaware during a statewide training event at the main fire station (304 Main Street in Odessa) on August 6-7, 2010.  

Delaware is the first state in the country to place this lifesaving technology in every fire response district.  The Rad-57 Pulse CO-Oximeters, which noninvasively measure the amount of carbon monoxide (CO) in the bloodstream, were purchased to enhance the response capabilities of Delaware's first responders and protect the health and safety of the public and emergency response personnel from the dangers of undetected CO poisoning.  Dave Aber, EMS Supervisor at the Odessa Fire Company, stated, "With 150 Rad-57s hitting the streets with our first responders, we're potentially the first state in the nation to become fully compliant with new NFPA 1584 national standards for Firefighter Rehabilitation and Medical Monitoring."

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, toxic gas that is impossible to see, taste or smell.  Also known as the "silent killer", CO can kill before you are aware you are being poisoned.  The leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the U.S., CO kills nearly 500 each year and sends another 20,000 people to hospital emergency rooms for treatment each year and, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), cases of CO poisoning are on the rise—climbing 36% between 2001 and 2006. (1)

An 18-year EMS veteran, Aber says that the Rad-57 is the best tool they have in the fight against this rise in CO poisoning, "Rad-57 is the fastest, easiest, most accurate way for us to determine at the scene of an emergency call if a person is CO poisoned.  By simply placing a noninvasive finger sensor on the patient and pressing a button, we can measure CO and oxygen saturation levels in the blood within seconds.  In emergencies, when seconds can mean a lifesaving difference, Rad-57 takes the guesswork out and provides us with the certainty we need to immediately identify who is CO poisoned and how severely, so we can initiate the right treatment at the right time."

Funding for the Rad-57s was made possible through a $420,000 federal grant awarded to the Odessa Fire Company by the Assistance to Firefighter Grant program through the Department of Homeland Security. "It's great news," stated Delaware Congressman Mike Castle. "The sacrifices made by the volunteer firefighters across the state can never be repaid, but we should always work together to support first responders."

Masimo Founder and CEO, Joe Kiani, stated, "This statewide initiative to equip every fire district with our Rad-57s arms Delaware first responders with the technology they need to protect themselves and the public from the devastating short- and long-term effects of CO poisoning.  Together, the Odessa Fire Company and the state of Delaware have shown outstanding public safety leadership at a time when it's needed most—as CO poisoning statistics continue to mount."

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 rainbow Pulse CO-Oximetry™, allowing noninvasive and continuous monitoring of blood constituents that previously required invasive procedures, 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).  In 2009, Masimo introduced rainbow Acoustic Monitoring™, 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 Outcome 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 Masimo Rad-57 Pulse CO-Oximeters will help first responders to noninvasively measure carbon monoxide levels within seconds for all patients, risks related to our assumptions that using the Rad-57 will help to protect the health and safety of Delaware citizens and first responders from the dangers of undetected CO poisoning, 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 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 Patient Outcome and Reducing Cost of Care ... by Taking Noninvasive Monitoring to New Sites and Applications, rainbow, SpHb, SpOC, SpCO, SpMet, PVI, rainbow Acoustic Monitoring, RRa, Radical-7, Rad-87, Rad-57,Rad-8, Rad-5,Pulse CO-Oximetry, Pulse CO-Oximeter, and SEDLine  are trademarks or registered trademarks of Masimo Corporation.

(1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), August 22, 2008: Nonfatal, Unintentional, Non--Fire-Related Carbon Monoxide Exposures--United States, 2004—2006  http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5733a2.htm?s_cid=mm5732a2_e

SOURCE Masimo