BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Covidien (NYSE: COV, BSX: COV), a leading global supplier of healthcare products, today announced the global launch of its Alarm Management System for the Nellcor™ OxiMax™ N-600x™ pulse oximeter. The OxiMax N-600x pulse oximeter is a full-featured, flagship oximeter that delivers accurate, reliable readings even during low perfusion and signal interference.

Oxygen saturation is a critical measure in patients experiencing respiratory depression. The Alarm Management System alerts hospital staff to periods of desaturation and potentially worrisome patterns and provides healthcare providers the ability to make timely, more-informed decisions about the care of patients.

“Cyclical impairment of airflow is a common denominator in a wide variety of patient conditions that can lead to mortality and severe morbidity, but it often goes unrecognized,” said Frank Overdyk, MSEE, M.D., Professor of Anesthesiology at the Medical University of South Carolina. “Covidien’s Alarm Management System quickly detects potentially harmful patterns and adds another level of patient safety by helping clinicians manage ventilation issues before they become adverse respiratory events.”

The Alarm Management System enhances the information provided by traditional pulse oximeters and supports efficient, comprehensive care of patients who are at risk for upper airway abnormalities such as sleep apnea, a history of snoring and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Such patients include those who have a high body mass index, are in a reduced state of consciousness due to pain medication and exhaustion, and have undergone major surgery or the elderly. According to the Centers for Disease Control, individuals 65 years of age and older account for the largest population of patients entering U.S. hospitals.

“The Alarm Management System will help hospitals remain efficient in today’s increasingly demanding health care environment while providing the highest quality of care possible,” said Chris Lowery, General Manager and Vice President, Patient Monitoring, Covidien. “At the core of Covidien’s innovation is our goal to continue providing solutions designed to improve patient safety, medical efficacy and healthcare efficiency.”

About Alarm Management System

The Alarm Management System software upgrade for the OxiMax N-600-x pulse oximeter brings together the technologies in the OxiMax SPD™ alert and SatSeconds™ alarm management with two new views that compile and display the information without adding to the current set of monitors and sensors. The OxiMax SPD alert utilizes an algorithm incorporating a patient’s rate, severity, frequency and duration of desaturation to detect patterns indicative of repetitive reductions in airflow in adults. SatSeconds alarm management is a clinician controlled feature that reduces alarm fatigue without sacrificing patient safety by differentiating between serious hypoxemia and minor transient events. The new general care format view allows evaluation of a patient’s condition at a glance, and the new trend view offers historical information with highlighted alerts.

Many pulse oximeters only display a patient’s current heart rate and saturation of peripheral oxygen (SpO₂), a singular snapshot without relevant context. If a patient’s saturation level does not cross the SpO₂ threshold, repeated desaturations may go unnoticed. The Alarm Management System’s easy-to-digest display and historical data provides a more complete picture of a patient’s status, enables more informed decision making and facilitates proactive interventions.

About Covidien

Covidien is a leading global healthcare products company that creates innovative medical solutions for better patient outcomes and delivers value through clinical leadership and excellence. Covidien manufactures, distributes and services a diverse range of industry-leading product lines in four segments: Medical Devices, Imaging Solutions, Pharmaceutical Products and Medical Supplies. With 2008 revenue of nearly $10 billion, Covidien has more than 41,000 employees worldwide in 59 countries, and its products are sold in over 140 countries. Please visit www.covidien.com to learn more about our business.