Asahi Kasei Zoll Medical, the Japanese subsidiary of Zoll Medical, has obtained Shonin approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) for its X Series monitor/defibrillator, designed primarily for emergency medical services (EMS) operations and critical care transport.
With this approval, Asahi Kasei Zoll Medical will initiate the sales and marketing of the X Series monitor/defibrillators in spring 2014.
At less than 12 pounds (6kg), the X Series is about half the size and half the weight of competitive full-featured monitor/defibrillators-but a lot more powerful.
According to Asahi Kasei Zoll Medical, the X Series combines the clinically superior therapeutic capabilities of Zoll defibrillation, pacing, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) assistance with advanced monitoring parameters.
Key among the X Series monitor/defibrillator’s features is the unequaled ability to assist with improving CPR quality to keep oxygen-rich blood flowing.
Zoll Medical’s proprietary See-Thru CPR minimizes the duration of pauses in CPR to enable rescuers to see the underlying rhythm.
The company’s Real CPR Help provides real-time CPR feedback, and a built-in sensor measures the depth, rate, and effectiveness of chest compressions.
The monitor/defibrillator helps first responders assess the patient’s needs as soon as possible and wirelessly transmit critical information to a receiving hospital so clinicians are prepared when the ambulance arrives.
Additionally, the device provides ECG monitoring, invasive and non-invasive blood pressure, pulse oximetry (including SpO2, CO, and others), end-tidal carbon dioxide concentration (EtCO2), body temperature, and respiratory rate.
Zoll Medical CEO Richard A Packer noted the company is very excited to begin commercialization of the X Series in Japan and to continue to offer innovative technologies and devices for acute critical care to this high-growth market.
"The X Series not only helps rescuers save lives, but makes the lives of first responders a great deal easier by having so many life-saving capabilities in one unit," Packer added.
Other Zoll products that obtained Shonin approval in Japan includes AED Plus automated external defibrillator, AutoPulse non-invasive cardiac support pump, and Intravascular Temperature Management (IVTM) system.