Masimo has announced the introduction of Rad-G™, a combined pulse oximeter designed primarily for use in pneumonia screening and spot-checking of oxygen saturation (SpO2) in low-resource settings. The development of the device is supported in part by a grant of $4.95 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), announced in November 2016, as part of a partnership with Masimo to facilitate screening for pneumonia by health workers in low-resource areas.


Rad-G is a low-cost, rugged, handheld pulse oximetry device with a rechargeable battery and LCD display. It uses Masimo Measure-through Motion and Low Perfusion™ SET® pulse oximetry technology to measure SpO2, respiration rate from the Pleth (RRp™), pulse rate (PR), and perfusion index (Pi).


Pneumonia remains the single largest treatable infectious cause of death in children worldwide, causing over 900,000 deaths each year among children under 5 years of age.1 In a study funded by the BMGF Diagnostics Modelling Consortium, the researchers concluded that in settings where supplemental oxygen is available, the addition of pulse oximetry to standard integrated management of child illness protocols could reduce pneumonia mortality rates.2 More recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been conducting a multi-country evaluation of enhanced community case management of pneumonia with the use of Masimo SET® pulse oximetry by community health workers.3


Enhancing patient screening is critically important to reducing the global burden of pneumonia. Moreover, enhanced screening may empower healthcare providers by supporting informed decisions related to pneumonia diagnosis and treatment, with the appropriate administration of antibiotics and oxygen therapy when needed. Masimo and BMGF hope that Masimo pulse oximetry technology, already used to monitor approximately 100 million patients around the world, can help better screen children in even the most challenging conditions.

Joe Kiani, Founder and CEO of Masimo, said, “The introduction of the Rad-G is a critical milestone in our partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help improve pneumonia screening. We are grateful to have the opportunity to bring our proven SET® pulse oximetry technology to areas of the world that are in desperate need of better healthcare, and look forward to making a positive difference in the lives of many children.”


Rad-G is currently not available for sale in the United States, Canada, or the E.U.



References

  1. Pneumonia Fact Sheet, World Health Organization (WHO), September 2016.
    http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheefts/fs331/en/.
  2. Floyd J et al. Evaluating the impact of pulse oximetry on childhood pneumonia mortality in resource-poor settings. Nature. 2015 Dec 3;528(7580):S53-9.
  3. World Health Organization (WHO), 2016.

Source & Image Credit: Masimo

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Pneumonia,Masimo,Rad-G™ Pulse Oximeter, pneumonia screening,oxygen saturation Masimo (NASDAQ:MASI) has announced the introduction of Rad-G™, a combined pulse oximeter designed primarily for use in pneumonia screening and spot-checking of oxygen saturation (SpO2) in low-resource settings