Alliance for Ventilators with Wireless Connectivity

According to a distribution agreement entered into by Mallinckrodt Inc. (St. Louis, MO, USA) for its Nellcor Puritan Bennett division and Data Critical Corp. (Bothell, WA, USA), Data Critical will develop an interface to allow its AlarmView wireless data network system to be used with Puritan-Bennett ventilators. Mallinckrodt will distribute the product to new and existing ventilator customers.

AlarmView allows wireless connectivity to stand-alone, hospital-based patient monitoring devices that can then provide timely transmission of critical patient information to appropriate nursing staff and other health care providers via pagers. When triggered by an alarm condition, the pager displays the pertinent information such as bed number, patient name, alarm message, and vital signs--all delivered within seconds to nurses within the department.

Mallinckrodt concluded an earlier agreement with Data Critical that allowed Nellcor to distribute the AlarmView system with its pulse oximetry and multi-parameter monitoring devices. Data Critical has also made agreements to interface AlarmView with patient monitoring systems marketed by Medtronic Physio-Control and Protocol Systems.

Wireless connectivity to mechanical ventilators is becoming increasingly important to our customers, says Michael Terner, vice president/general manager of Mallinckrodt's Ventilator Group. Data Critical's AlarmView solution will allow busy hospital-based caregivers to remain informed of their patient's respiratory and ventilator status.