Libya becomes the first country to use Masimo Pronto-7 hemoglobin spot-check device

Masimo (NASDAQ: MASI) announced today that Libya has become the first country to begin using the Masimo Pronto-7^®— a handheld noninvasive hemoglobin spot-check device — to screen potential blood donors for low hemoglobin level in all of its major blood-donation centers. The announcement comes at Arab Health, the world's longest-running healthcare exhibition and congress held each January in Dubai.

Donating blood prior to your own surgical procedure or for those of friends and family members is common practice throughout the Middle East. However, until the use of Pronto-7, centers in Libya were using invasive blood draws to test donors for low blood count or anemia. It is estimated that about 10% of people who attempt to donate blood are deferred because of a low hemoglobin level.

The palm-sized Pronto-7, with dimensions of just 13 cm x 7.2 cm x 2.5 cm (5.1" x 2.8" x 1") and weight of 296 grams (10.5 ounces), offers a breakthrough solution for quick and easy spot-check measurements of hemoglobin, SpO2, pulse rate, and perfusion index in less than one minute —without needles, time-consuming laboratory analysis, blood contamination, hazardous medical waste, and patient discomfort associated with traditional blood tests.

"The Pronto-7's accuracy, portability and ease-of-use helps clinicians protect donors from unintentional harm," said Dr. Nurideen Abdulhamid Dagman, Libya Minister of Health and former Director of the Benghazi Central Blood Bank. "With the use of advanced technologies such as the Pronto-7, Libya is demonstrating its commitment to patient safety."

Standardizing blood donor assessments using the Pronto-7 follows Libya's national adoption of Masimo continuous noninvasive hemoglobin (SpHb^®) as the standard of care in the country's operating rooms in 2008.

"Libya's leadership in implementing Masimo's noninvasive hemoglobin monitoring technology as a national standard of care, first in operating rooms and now at blood donation centers, shows the country's commitment to adopting advanced medical technologies that improve patient care and safety," said Masimo founder and CEO Joe Kiani . "We applaud their efforts to put patient safety first and acknowledge the tireless work of Motahida Medical Co., our distributor in Libya, for making this achievement possible. Masimo is dedicated to expanding our presence in the Middle East and helping this very important region to continue to adopt leading-edge technologies for the betterment of patient care and safety."