MAQUET'S CARDIOHELP System Awarded "Best New Product of the Year" From Best in Biz Awards

WAYNE, N.J., Dec. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MAQUET Medical Systems USA today announced that its CARDIOHELP^® System won Gold for "Best New Product of the Year" from the Best in Biz Awards. It also was selected as the second-place winner in the Capital Equipment Category of the 4^th Annual Excellence in Surgical Products (ESP) Award from Surgical Products magazine. CARDIOHELP is the world's smallest portable heart-lung support system providing extracorporeal life support (ECLS) for up to six hours in patients whose heart and/or lungs are failing. Additionally, MAQUET's "We Are MAQUET" video, which debuted at the company's National Sales Meeting in January 2012 in Florida, won Silver for "Best Film or Video of the Year" from the Best in Biz Awards and can be viewed at http://www.maquet.com/We_Are_MAQUET.

"Since CARDIOHELP was launched in the United States in 2011, it has broadened the field of cardiopulmonary support," said Raoul Quintero, President and CEO, MAQUET Medical Systems USA. "It has been used successfully in more than 100 cases in patients whose heart and/or lungs were failing and who required immediate, mobile, life-sustaining resuscitation, either at the bedside or in the field. The five industry awards that CARDIOHELP has received to date validate its advanced technology and innovative design as well as the exceptional skill of the engineering teams who developed it for critically ill patients needing heart-lung support."

Brand new products were eligible for Best in Biz Awards' "Best New Product of the Year" if they were created since January 1, 2012, by companies from all industries, regions in the United States or Canada, and sizes. Films or videos—ranging from internal or motivational films, to public relations and sales films, to training videos—were eligible for Best in Biz Awards' "Best Film or Video of the Year" if they were created in 2011-2012 by companies in all industries and regions in the United States or Canada, regardless of the filming budget or length. For more information, visit http://www.bestinbizawards.com/2012-winners-product. Winners of the ESP Award 2012 were selected by readers of Surgical Products from hundreds of innovative products submitted annually. Surgical Products is a publication for surgeons, anesthesiologists and department heads in charge of operating/emergency rooms, intensive care units/critical care units, infection control, operating room materials management and other areas.

About CARDIOHELP
The CARDIOHELP System, which includes the Heart Lung Support (HLS) Advanced Tubing Set, is the first heart-lung support system approved for both ground and air transportation.[*] It is light enough to be carried by one person and compact enough to be transported in a helicopter or vehicle. With its disposables, integrated sensors and individual operating modes, the CARDIOHELP System provides new options for patients whose heart and/or lungs are failing.

The individual operating modes and disposables of the CARDIOHELP System make it suitable for conditions in which cardiac and/or respiratory support is needed. The CARDIOHELP System offers several applications to support patients who require veno-venous life support or veno-arterial life support; it can also be used during open heart surgery including extracorporeal carbon dioxide (CO²) removal up to six hours.

Veno-venous life support, or respiratory assistance for lung disorders, is primarily used when the heart is still able to pump blood through the circulatory system without any additional support. In severe respiratory failure, blood oxygenation is compromised, pH falls, and acid levels in the blood may dangerously rise.  The blood is removed from the jugular vein or a femoral vein for enrichment with oxygen and depletion of CO², after which it is returned to a vein.

Veno-arterial life support is used with patients whose hearts are not adequately supporting their circulation or have stopped. It is vital to ensure cardiopulmonary support as early as possible to prevent organ damage. In the case of a veno-arterial life support, the blood is removed from the right atrium or a femoral vein and is returned to the aorta or a femoral artery after oxygenation; some of the blood therefore bypasses the heart in a parallel circulatory system, thus relieving stress on the heart muscle.

The CARDIOHELP System is a minimal extracorporeal circulatory system allowing for life support during cardiopulmonary bypass procedures.

The CARDIOHELP System was designed by MAQUET Cardiopulmonary AG. 

Key Features of CARDIOHELP
The CARDIOHELP System may be installed in ambulances or helicopters and can be connected to the on-board power supply. The integrated rechargeable battery also provides a minimum of 90 minutes of operation without an external power supply. The CARDIOHELP System is operated via an easy touch screen with user guidance and a rotary knob to allow medical personnel with minimal life support experience to safely use the unit after suitable training.

The CARDIOHELP System monitors important blood parameters, including venous oxygen saturation, hemoglobin, hematocrit and arterial and venous blood temperature. The complete sensor system, which also includes three pressure sensors, is integrated into the HLS Module Advanced disposable.

The CARDIOHELP System can be configured to capture case data and data recording intervals can be set individually from 3 seconds to 10 minutes. For more information, visit http://www.cardiohelp-us.com.

About MAQUET 
MAQUET, a trusted partner for hospitals and physicians for over 175 years, is the global leader in providing medical systems that meet the needs of the most medically challenging patients, while exceeding the expectations of the hospital teams that care for them. MAQUET designs, develops and distributes innovative therapy solutions and infrastructure capabilities for high-acuity areas within the hospital including the operating room (OR), hybrid OR/cath lab and intensive care unit (ICU) as well as intra and inter hospital patient transport.

Headquartered in Rastatt, Germany, MAQUET is the largest subsidiary of the publicly listed Getinge Group AB of Sweden. MAQUET generated nearly 1.4 billion Euros in 2011, representing more than half of the Getinge Group's annual revenue of 2.4 billion Euros. MAQUET has 6,000 employees in 50 international sales and service organizations, as well as a network of more than 280 sales representatives. For more information please visit www.maquet.com. 

MAQUET – The Gold Standard.
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[*]The CARDIOHELP System complies with other national transportation regulations.

SOURCE MAQUET Medical Systems USA