December 2004 Industry News

Masimo, the innovator of Signal Extraction Pulse Oximetry, debuted two breakthrough Low Noise Optical Probe (LNOP) Specialty sensors at the NANN conference in Orlando, FL, last fall. The Masimo LNOP Blue Sensor is designed for cyanotic babies and children with congenital heart defects. The Masimo LNOP Hi-Fi Trauma sensor is designed specifically for trauma situations, including accurate tracking through newborn resuscitation...Medtronic, manufacturer of emergency response systems, received a leadership award from Frost & Sullivan for its external defibrillator product line for demonstrating the most insight into customer needs and product demands. Frost & Sullivan is recognized as a global leader in growth consulting. Their awards are presented to companies that demonstrate excellence in their industry. “Medtronic has optimized its external defibrillator product line by leveraging products with various price, performance and feature points that are required by the market,” said Katherine Shariq, industry analyst for Frost & Sullivan...John Stevenson, a veteran of the North American commercial vehicle manufacturing business, has been named president of American LaFrance, the Ladson, SC-based manufacturer of fire and emergency equipment. “Stevenson’s extensive manufacturing experience and focus on holistic quality processes will be a great benefit to American LaFrance,” said Juergen Kritschgau, CFO for parent company Freightliner LLC, headquartered in Portland, OR...In the largest deal in ZOLL’s history, Chelmsford-based ZOLL Medical Corporation has acquired Revivant Corporation, of Sunnyvale, CA, makers of the AutoPulse non-invasive cardiac support pump. The AutoPulse is an FDA-approved device that offers the promise of restoring near-normal blood flow levels in sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) patients. Many clinicians who have used the AutoPulse call it the single most important development in the treatment of SCA in the past 30 years...In another initiative, ZOLL has teamed up with Duracell to raise awareness about the need for defibrillators in schools. Major league baseball superstar and starting pitcher for the Houston Astros, Roger Clemens, helped kick off the campaign that will give away a total of 51 life-saving packages of ZOLL AED Plus automated external defibrillators and enough Duracell batteries to power each system for years to come. A package will be given to one school in each state and the District of Columbia. Register a school for a chance to win at www.duracell.com/schools between now and January 31, 2005...Emergency First Response (EFR), a corporate affiliate of the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), the world’s largest diver training organization, has announced it is expanding into the EMS market. Originally launched within the scuba diving industry two years ago, EFR is now reaching out to medical professionals who are interested in increasing their income by becoming CPR, AED and first aid instructors. EFR now has more than 24,000 instructors worldwide who are focused on providing CPR and first aid training to lay rescuers. The current effort expands their award-winning program to EMS professionals who are interested in training lay rescuers.