BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Covidien (NYSE: COV), a leading global provider of healthcare products and recognized innovator in mechanical ventilation and respiratory care devices, today announced the availability of the new Infinity^® MCable^® with Nellcor™ OxiMax™ technology as an integrated component of the Dräger Infinity Acute Care System™ in Europe. This system includes the portable Infinity M540 monitor. The Infinity MCable with Nellcor OxiMax technology adds two vital features to the compact Dräger monitor: Nellcor OxiMax specialty pulse oximetry sensors and Nellcor SatSeconds™ alarm management technology.

The seamless integration of advanced pulse oximetry technology/clinician-controlled alarm management from Covidien with portable patient monitoring devices from Dräger, a world-leading manufacturer of medical equipment, underscores both companies’ continuing commitment to improving healthcare delivery. This newly enhanced portable device now provides clinicians with state-of-the-art monitoring technology to optimize patient care as well as a technological solution to improve hospital efficiency and reduce the risk of human error.

“Accurate, uninterrupted monitoring of patients’ SpO₂ levels enables clinicians to make decisions based on real-time data,” said Robert J. White, General Manager and Vice President, Patient Monitoring, Covidien. “Transporting patients within the hospital can result in gaps in information, which in some cases can lead to poor clinical outcomes. Additionally, so-called ‘alarm fatigue’ poses a very real threat to patient safety, when clinicians at understaffed hospitals find it increasingly difficult to distinguish genuine medical emergencies from transient, minor events. Technologies that reduce these problems are likely to improve patient safety and boost hospital efficiency.”

The Dräger Infinity Acute Care System is a fully networked system that integrates patient monitoring, therapy, and IT across the entire healthcare system to improve safety, efficiency, and quality of care. The system includes the Infinity M540, a portable patient monitor that moves with patients as they are transported throughout the hospital. During transport, the Infinity M540 monitor continuously captures, displays and stores vital patient data. Once the transport is complete and the monitor is re-docked at the patient’s bedside, it automatically transfers all events and trends for the patient to the Infinity Medical Cockpit™, part of the Infinity Acute Care System, for complete, seamless data recording. Because the patient does not have to be disconnected and reconnected to monitoring devices, the risk of undetected events is reduced, clinical efficiency is enhanced, and the patient is undisturbed.

“Covidien is focused on identifying innovative approaches to increasing patient safety, while simultaneously helping clinicians and hospitals enhance efficacy and efficiency,” said Scott Kelley, Vice President, Medical Affairs, Respiratory and Monitoring Solutions, Covidien. “Our partnership with Dräger and the introduction of the Infinity MCable –Nellcor OxiMax are excellent examples of how our ongoing pursuit is resulting in meaningful, measurable healthcare improvements.”

The Infinity MCable–Nellcor OxiMax incorporates the Nellcor SatSeconds technology into the Infinity M540 monitor, enabling the device to generate “smart alarms” based on the severity and duration of a patient’s oxygen desaturation. Clinicians can also use any of the innovative sensors offered by Covidien – including the Max-Fast™ forehead sensor used for patients with poor perfusion and the SoftCare™ nonadhesive sensor line for patients with sensitive skin – which work only with Nellcor OxiMax technology. Incorporation of the full range of Nellcor OxiMax pulse oximetry technology into the Dräger Infinity M540 allows the portable monitor to be used effectively on all patient populations, from neonatal and pediatric patients to fragile geriatric ones.

“Dräger’s Infinity Acute Care System brings state-of-the-art monitoring to new areas of the continuum of care, and through this partnership, clinicians will now have access to leading monitoring technologies offered by Covidien,” said Pete Wehrly, President, Respiratory and Monitoring Solutions, Covidien. “The introduction of the Infinity MCable–Nellcor OxiMax will, for the very first time, connect SatSeconds alarm management system and our advanced SpO₂ sensor technology into Dräger’s Infinity Acute Care System at the bedside and beyond.”

About Covidien

Covidien is a leading global healthcare products company that creates innovative medical solutions for better patient outcomes and delivers value through clinical leadership and excellence. Covidien manufactures, distributes and services a diverse range of industry-leading product lines in three segments: Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies. With 2010 revenue of $10.4 billion, Covidien has approximately 42,000 employees worldwide in more than 60 countries, and its products are sold in over 140 countries. Please visit www.covidien.com to learn more about our business.

Infinity, MCable, Medical Cockpit and Acute Care System are a trademarks of Dräger.