A Diagnostics & Imaging Week

Patient monitoring systems maker Spacelabs Medical (Issaquah, Washington) and Aspect Medical Systems (Newton, Massachusetts), a developer of brain-monitoring technology, have entered into a multi-year, worldwide development and licensing agreement to incorporate Aspect’s Bispectral Index (BISx) technology into Spacelabs’ UltraviewSL patient monitoring systems.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Upon completion of the development work, Space-labs UltraviewSL monitors will be “BIS ready,” equipped to accept BISx technology across the continuum of healthcare settings where patient sedation is performed.

The latest BIS processing platform from Aspect, the BISx, is a power link that incorporates the processing technology required to obtain BIS information in a compact format that connects easily to the Spacelabs BIS module. The new system also includes advanced processing capabilities to accommodate future applications for BIS technology.

Aspect’s BIS system is used to help avoid “surgical consciousness,” those incidents in which surgical patients are not rendered unconscious by anesthesia – and also enabling the avoidance of delivering too much anesthesia – with the company’s cash flow derived largely from disposables for the system.

“This agreement exemplifies Spacelabs’ continued commitment to bringing ‘best of class’ technology to clinicians across the continuum of care,” said Joe Davin, president of global sales and marketing.

Spacelabs provides patient monitoring systems for critical care and anesthesia, wired and wireless networks and clinical information connectivity solutions, ambulatory blood pressure monitors and medical data services. It has an installed base of about 117,000 patient monitoring units worldwide.

VivoMetrics Government Services (Ventura, California) and Rex Systems (Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin) reported a partnership to further develop Rex Systems’ First Responder Communications Tracking System (FRCTS). The portable technology is designed to facilitate safety in the field by enabling first responders to communicate with one another and with a central command center.

In addition to the functions of FRCTS, the Vivo-Metrics’ LifeShirt will be integrated to provide real-time biometric and cardiopulmonary data on active first responders.

The companies said they are hopeful that increased communication of real-time medical and positioning information will provide heightened emergency personnel safety.

The lightweight LifeShirt, with embedded sensors, will be worn by first responders beneath protective gear as a part of the FRCTS. First responders will be able to view and monitor their own vital signs through data generated on a display inside their SCBA masks. Colleagues in the field and emergency personnel at the central command center will have access to the same data.

The system will consist of a heads-up display, an audio communications device, camera/video monitor and sensors for internal and external agents, including hazardous chemicals or biological components, in addition to the monitoring of vital signs using the LifeShirt System.

FRCTS is in its second phase of development. Working with the U.S. Army’s Communications, Electronics, Research, Development and Engineering Center, Rex said it hopes to have a model ready for use by the first responder community in three to five years.

Vital Images (Minneapolis), a provider of enterprise-wide advanced visualization and analysis solutions, has signed a distribution agreement with Medis (Leesburg, Virginia), a provider of quantitative software solutions for advanced cardiac analysis using magnetic resonance imaging.

Vital Images will distribute Medis’ QMass MR product integrated with Vitrea, Vital Images’ flagship software solution. QMass MR is Medis’ all-in-one solution for the quantification of cardiac magnetic resonance images.

“Our partnership with Medis strengthens our leadership position in advanced visualization and analysis in cardiology,” said Jay Miller, Vital Images president and CEO. “Incorporation of Medis’ technology advances our strategy of bringing a complete enterprise-wide cardiology solution to our customers.”