Masimo receives GOLD 2011 Medical Design Excellence Award for Pronto-7 noninvasive hemoglobin

Masimo Corporation (NASDAQ: MASI) announced today that its Pronto-7™ handheld noninvasive hemoglobin, arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2), pulse rate, and perfusion index spot-check testing device has received the GOLD 2011 Medical Design Excellence Award—the highest award given in the general hospital devices and therapeutic products category.  The 2011 Medical Design Excellence Award winners were honored yesterday at a presentation ceremony in New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, in conjunction with the Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) East Conference and Exposition (www.MDMEast.com).

The Medical Design Excellence Awards competition (www.MDEAwards.com) is organized and presented by UBM Canon (Los Angeles) and is the only awards program that exclusively recognizes contributions and advances in the design of medical products. Entries are evaluated on the basis of their design and engineering features, including innovative use of materials, user related functions that improve healthcare delivery and change traditional medical attitudes or practices, features that provide enhanced benefits to the patient, and the ability of the product development team to overcome design and engineering challenges so that the product meets its clinical objectives.  A comprehensive review of the entries was performed by an impartial, multidisciplinary panel of third-party jurors with expertise in biomedical engineering, human factors, industrial design, medicine, and diagnostics.

The Pronto-7 is truly an incredible breakthrough for clinical users.  The palm-sized device was designed for quick-and-easy noninvasive hemoglobin (SpHb®) spot-check testing, along with SpO2, pulse rate, and perfusion index.  Extremely lightweight at approximately 296g, the Pronto-7 delivers total hemoglobin measurement results—a physiological parameter that previously required an invasive blood draw.  Offering needle-less and pain-free hemoglobin blood testing, the Pronto-7 is a cost-effective solution for immediate, on-the-spot hemoglobin testing that is raising the expectations of patients and clinicians alike to more advanced healthcare at the earliest moment of care.

"We are honored that the judges have selected Pronto-7 as a GOLD MDEA winning product," said Joe Kiani, Founder and CEO of Masimo. "Pronto-7 was designed to help overcome many of the challenges and risks associated with invasive hemoglobin sampling for both clinicians and patients—enabling fast, accurate, painless, needle- and risk-free total hemoglobin measurements."

The new Pronto-7 with small, medium, and large size finger sensors will soon be launched internationally and is pending FDA 510(k) Clearance in the U.S.