Covidien will market its Nellcor bedside respiratory patient monitoring system in the US and European Economic Area (EEA), following the Food and Drug Administration and CE mark approvals.

The new system, which can connect to the company’s Nellcor OxiNet III remote respiratory monitoring system, features a color touch-screen graphical user interface to provide continuous monitoring of blood oxygenation (SpO2) and pulse rate.

The system also features a SatSeconds alarm management which helps clinicians to differentiate between serious and minor events, thus reducing clinically insignificant desaturation alarms and alarm fatigue.

The monitoring system’s Saturation Pattern Detection alert feature is designed for automated, real-time detection of patterns of desaturation that indicate repetitive reductions in airflow.

The company said the new system is upgradable onsite to accommodate new parameters and features, including Nellcor Respiration Rate software, thereby reducing service disruptions and costs for hospitals.

Covidien respiratory and monitoring solutions president Robert White said, "With this addition, we now offer an updated portfolio of industry-leading bedside monitoring solutions that meet unique care needs in both high- and low-acuity settings, thus enhancing patient safety in hospitals throughout the world."