New Study Affirms Masimo rainbow® Pulse CO-Oximetry™ Accuracy for Noninvasive Carboxyhemoglobin and Methemoglobin Measurements

Masimo MASI announced today a new study in Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology shows that noninvasive carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO®) and methemoglobin (SpMet®) measurements with Masimo rainbow® Pulse CO-Oximetry™ are accurate and conclude they can be used as an effective first screening test with emergency room patients suspected of suffering carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.(1) CO poisoning is a major cause of morbidity and mortality(2) and is responsible for more than 50,000 emergency department visits per year in the United States.(3) Because symptoms of CO poisoning are nonspecific – ranging from mild headache, nausea, confusion, and dizziness to end-organ injury, such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and death – diagnosis is difficult and has historically relied on clinical suspicion and confirmation by measurement of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) via invasive blood-gas analysis. Unfortunately, it has been estimated that up to half of U.S. hospitals do not have invasive COHb testing ability – increasing the potential that many victims of CO poisoning could be overlooked and misdiagnosed.(4)