Masimo Announces New Low-Profile Infant and Neonatal Pulse Oximetry Sensors


Smaller, Flexible Sensors Are More Comfortable for Patients, Easier to Apply for Clinicians

IRVINE, Calif., --Masimo (NASDAQ: MASI) today announced the full market release of low-profile sensors to monitor oxygen saturation in newborns. The newly enhanced low-profile LNCS®, M-LNCS Neo®, NeoPt®, and Inf Sensors® are smaller and thinner, making them significantly more comfortable for patients and easier to apply for healthcare workers.

Masimo's breakthrough infant and neonatal sensor enhancements offer stellar performance, reliability, and accuracy, as well as compatibility with Masimo's noninvasive SET® and rainbow® SET technologies, which continuously monitor oxygenation, pulse rate, and blood constituent measurements that previously required invasive or complicated procedures.

"Masimo's new low-profile sensors are not only flatter and easier to apply, but the added pliability allows them to fit around the extremities better, so they stay on better," said Elizabeth Berube, patient care coordinator with University Health System-San Antonio, a 498-bed hospital. "When a baby's only a pound and a half at birth, it makes a difference to have this little, more streamlined sensor."

Masimo's breakthrough low-profile sensor components perform to the highest standards clinicians the world over have come to expect from Masimo SET® Measure-through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry.

Blood-oxygen monitoring plays a key role in maintaining the health of newborns. Too little oxygen can lead to brain damage, organ failure or death; too much oxygen can cause blindness. A multi-center study published in the international peer-reviewed academic journal Acta Paediatrica showed that a change in clinical practice with the use of Masimo SET pulse oximetry technology led to a significant reduction of severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) - a devastating eye disorder resulting in partial or complete blindness in premature newborns. The study also confirmed that conventional pulse oximetry technology is not effective in reducing ROP, even when clinical practice is changed to reflect lowered oxygen saturation targets.(1)

Joe Kiani, Masimo CEO and Chairman of the Board, stated: "The release of our new line of low-profile sensors will enable clinicians to better care for their newborn patients, and offer the most vulnerable of our population a greater chance of leading healthy lives. We're proud to deliver another industry first - a line of low-profile, extremely small and highly effective sensors for healthcare providers worldwide."

(1)Castillo A., Deulofeut R., Critz A., Sola A. "Prevention of Retinopathy of Prematurity in Preterm Infants through Changes in Clinical Practice and SpO2 Technology." Acta Paediatrica.2011 Feb; 100 (2): 188-192.

About Masimo

Masimo (NASDAQ: MASI) is the global leader in innovative noninvasive 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 SET® Pulse CO-Oximetry(TM) technology, allowing noninvasive and continuous monitoring of blood constituents that previously required invasive procedures, including total hemoglobin (SpHb®), oxygen content (SpOC(TM)), carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO®), methemoglobin (SpMet®), and Pleth Variability Index (PVI®), in addition to SpO2, pulse rate, and perfusion index (PI). In 2008, the company introduced Masimo SafetyNet(TM), a remote monitoring and wireless clinician notification system designed to help hospitals avoid preventable deaths and injuries associated with failure to rescue events. In 2009, Masimo introduced rainbow Acoustic Monitoring(TM), the first-ever noninvasive and continuous monitoring of acoustic respiration rate (RRa(TM)). Masimo's rainbow SET technology platform offers a breakthrough in patient safety by helping clinicians detect life-threatening conditions and helping guide treatment options. In 2010, Masimo acquired SEDLine®, a pioneer in the development of innovative brain function monitoring technology and devices. Masimo SET and Masimo rainbow SET technologies can be also found in over 100 multiparameter patient monitors from over 50 medical device manufacturers around the world. 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.

Media Contact:

Mike Drummond

Masimo Corporation

Phone: (949) 297-7434

Email: mdrummond@masimo.com

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, Adaptive Threshold Alarm, and SEDLine are trademarks or registered trademarks of Masimo Corporation. The use of the trademarks Patient SafetyNet and PSN are under license from University HealthSystem Consortium.

Web Site: www.masimo.com

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