FDA approves Zoll's newest defibrillator-monitor
Massachusetts-based Zoll has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its Zenix defibrillator-monitor for EMS and hospital use. The device includes new features based on years of user feedback.
According to Zoll, this is the company's most advanced, user-friendly defibrillator-monitor. It includes a large, durable touchscreen and automated workflows. Users can customize the system with real-time adjustments that make it easy to use during critical care. It also features Zoll's Real BVM Help and Real CPR Help technologies, which can help improve rescue therapy outcomes.
The device's bag valve mask (BVM) is used to provide manual ventilation, stabilizing a patient to give rescuers time to treat medical issues requiring immediate attention. However, complications can develop with unfamiliar users, so the system collects ventilation data and displays it in real time on the monitor. A ventilation quality indicator (VQI) ring fills for each breath, changing color based on ventilation quality, volume and rate.
Real CPR Help tells the user performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if their compression rate and depth are adequate, providing audio and visual feedback that guides rescuers as they work to provide high-quality CPR.
“The approval of Zenix reflects our strategic, long-term focus on growth through high-value, solution-based technologies. This device has been designed with an understanding of customer needs, and we expect it will be well-received by customers and healthcare professionals,” Ken Shinomiya, leader of the healthcare sector at Asahi Kasei, which owns Zoll, said in a statement.
He added that this new device expands the company's critical care portfolio and will help it stay competitive in the defibrillator-monitor market.
The Zenix defibrillator-monitor is now available to customers in the U.S. and Canada.
Zoll is one of only three vendors that sell hospital-grade defibrillator-monitors, along with Physio-Control and Philips.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: [email protected]