Masimo Corp, Irvine, Calif, received FDA clearance for its Masimo Rainbow SET Acoustic Monitoring™, which noninvasively and continuously provides respiration rate. The monitoring system is designed to enable earlier detection of respiratory compromise and patient distress for post-surgical patients on the general hospital floor, particularly those receiving patient-controlled analgesia for pain management. A limited market release is scheduled to begin this month.

Masimo Rainbow SET Acoustic Monitoring features an adhesive sensor with an integrated acoustic transducer that is applied to the patient’s neck to detect upper airway acoustic vibrations on the surface of the skin during the respiratory cycle. Using patented acoustic signal processing that leverages Masimo’s Signal Extraction Technology (SET), the respiratory signal is separated and processed to display continuous respiration rate.

 Live demonstrations of Masimo Rainbow SET Acoustic Monitoring will be featured at the Masimo exhibit at the American Association of Respiratory Care annual meeting December 5-7, 2009 in San Antonio.