February 19, 2008 – Masimo announced today that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has included carbon monoxide screening by Pulse CO-Oximetry as part of a new national healthcare standard for firefighters potentially exposed to carbon monoxide poisoning.
NFPA's consensus codes and standards serve as the worldwide authoritative source on fire prevention and public safety— virtually every building, process, service, design, and installation in society today is affected by NFPA documents, said Masimo. Masimo makes the Pulse CO-Oximetry, a noninvasive test for carbon monoxide in the blood.
The new standard, which became effective Dec. 31, 2007 and was recently published, establishes that “any firefighter exposed to carbon monoxide or presenting with headache, nausea, shortness of breath, or gastrointestinal symptoms,” should be measured for carbon monoxide poisoning by Pulse CO-Oximetry or other approved methods. It also requires every fire department to establish Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs) that outline uniform rehabilitation procedures for firefighters at incident scenes and training exercises.
According to the company, studies have shown that even a single high level exposure, or prolonged exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide, has the potential to cause long-term heart, brain and organ damage.
For more information: www.masimo.com