Oridion Medical Teams Up With Medtronic Physio-Control

Oridion has recently signed an OEM agreement to supply its patented Microstream capnography to Medtronic Physio-Control, the world's leading manufacturer of defibrillators and other emergency medical products. This new agreement marks the first time Oridion has engaged a partner in both a private label and OEM relationship.

Earlier this year, the two companies launched a private label arrangement for Medtronic Physio-Control to market handheld Microstream capnographs using their trade names LifeCap and LifeCap Plus (with pulse oximetry). Under the new agreement, Medtronic Physio-Control will integrate Oridion's Microstream-enabled MediCO₂ capnography module into its new LIFEPAK 12 defibrillator/monitor series.

Oridion Medical supplies Microstream capnography to several leading medical equipment manufacturers through similar OEM and private label agreements. These companies include Datex-Ohmeda, Drager, Hewlett-Packard, Mallinckrodt (Nellcor Puritan Bennett) and Nihon Kohden, among others. As a result of these partnerships, Oridion Medical is rapidly becoming the global leader in capnography.

Scott Christensen, president of Oridion Medical Inc., said, "Our partnership with Medtronic Physio-Control has come full circle in a very short time. We are now supplying all of their CO₂ monitoring needs, from single parameter units to their latest multifunction devices. We feel their confidence in Microstream attests to its clinical superiority over other capnography systems."

Bob Guezuraga, general manager, Medtronic Physio-Control, added, "Most capnography systems are only effective in the operating room environment. Microstream can be used everywhere, from the hospital to the home, and with all patients. It is a perfect complement to the versatile LIFEPAK 12 series, which is also intended for a variety of clinical environments."

Medtronic Physio-Control's LIFEPAK 12 defibrillator/monitor combines a variety of functions in a rugged, portable device. Designed for pre-hospital and hospital use, the LIFEPAK 12 series performs therapeutic, diagnostic and monitoring functions. It is easy to use and gives clinicians the flexibility to add new features over time. Currently the LIFEPAK 12 series includes automated external defibrillator (AED) and manual defibrillator modes with ECG monitoring, 12-lead ECG analysis and pulse oximetry. With the new OEM agreement in place, Medtronic Physio-Control will soon offer the LIFEPAK 12 series with Microstream capnography, adding a new dimension to its monitoring capabilities. The LIFEPAK 12defibrillator/monitor and LifeCap handheld units are compatible with Oridion's versatile family of FilterLine circuits and airway adapters. This gives customers the efficiency of ordering and stocking the same CO2 accessories for all their capnography units.

Capnography is the noninvasive measurement of carbon dioxide levels in exhaled breath (end-tidal CO₂). Clinicians use capnography to assess the respiratory status of patients in a growing array of clinical situations, including emergency medical care, procedural sedations, intensive care and neonatal applications.