ZOLL, Reflectance Medical Form Development Agreement

ZOLL Medical Corp. officials announce that they have entered into an agreement with Reflectance Medical Inc. of Westborough, Mass., to develop and market a ruggedized version of the Mobile CareGuide sensor, a medical device used for detecting the onset of shock in patients during air and ground military, and EMS patient transports, as well as hospitalizations.

Reflectance Medical’s CareGuide sensor continuously and noninvasively monitors tissue metabolism and can be used to determine when a patient has undetected internal bleeding and may be in danger of going into shock.

Rapid treatment of traumatic injuries and shock has been shown to help save lives and reduce complications. By incorporating these new clinical parameters, ZOLL’s patient monitor/defibrillators will provide more than just standard vital signs monitoring. Having early indicators of blood volume loss and impending circulatory failure in the ZOLL monitor/defibrillators will ensure rapid treatment is given to the patients who need it the most.

The technology measures muscle oxygen saturation (SmO₂), to determine the adequacy of tissue perfusion. Mobile CareGuide can also measure muscle pH1, an indication of acidosis as well as blood hematocrit1, another key parameter to assess patient status.

The goal of resuscitation from shock is to reverse acidosis and restore adequate blood flow and oxygen to all organs. Mobile CareGuide uses near-infrared light and patented algorithms to noninvasively analyze and report the blood chemistry of muscle tissue, which is the last organ to recover from traumatic injury and shock.

“Combining Reflectance’s CareGuide technology with ZOLL’s Propaq M, Propaq MD, and X Series platforms of vital signs monitors and monitor/defibrillators provides clinicians the ability to triage casualties, especially those who appear stable, but are actually in shock,” states Jonathan A. Rennert, president of ZOLL. “This technology has promising applications for both military and EMS services and we anticipate this becoming a standard in evaluating the status of trauma patients.”

“Being able to draw upon ZOLL’s extensive knowledge and experience in the military and EMS markets to develop a field-deployable CareGuide product for use outside the hospital can make a big impact on improving patient care,” comments Babs Soller, president of Reflectance Medical. “We also anticipate applying ZOLL’s expertise in resuscitation to expand the CareGuide technology to additional patient populations including cardiac arrest patients.”