New Version Can Also Provide Patient Data in Six Languages
ST. LOUIS, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt Inc. (NYSE: MKG) has added
several enhancements to its Puritan-Bennett brand Simplicity(R) spirometer.
The improvements are designed to make the Simplicity easier to use, while
broadening its global appeal. The Simplicity is a pocket-sized screening
device used in hospitals, research facilities, doctors' offices and homes to
measure lung capacity and performance. Mallinckrodt's Simplicity spirometer
has been on the market since January 1998.
The Simplicity's new "Revision J" software includes a "Blow and Go"
feature that provides immediate information on a patient's status without the
customary delays required by calibration and entering patient demographics.
The faster employees in hospital emergency rooms can acquire information on a
patient's status, the sooner the patient can be transferred from the emergency
room into treatment.
To better meet the needs of the growing global healthcare market, the new
Simplicity software can provide information in six languages: English,
Spanish, German, French, Italian and Dutch. The Simplicity also includes an
improved patient-use flow sensor with a six-digit bar code that gives the user
the option of scanning an entry into the Simplicity spirometer or entering the
numeric code manually.
"We have made these software enhancements in response to customer feedback
and extensive market research results," said Peter Gonzalez, director of
marketing in Mallinckrodt's Alternate Care Division. "They make the
Simplicity more user-friendly and establish it as a truly global product that
expands our reach beyond domestic boundaries. Healthcare is expensive, and by
providing healthcare practitioners with quality products and reducing their
acquisition costs for products like the Simplicity, we create a 'win-win' for
all parties. In keeping with that philosophy, we are offering these software
upgrades to our existing customers at no charge."
The Simplicity spirometer complements Mallinckrodt's market-leading NPB
Renaissance(R) Spirometer by providing a simpler, lower-cost device to help
detect many forms of lung disease. Simplicity spirometers have been
specifically designed to support the National Lung Health Education Program, a
joint initiative of the American College of Chest Physicians, the American
Association for Respiratory Care, the American Thoracic Society, the National
Cancer Society and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The
program's goal is early detection and prevention of chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis and
causes 105,000 U.S. deaths each year. It is the fourth-leading and fastest-
growing cause of death in the United States.
To take a spirometry test, a patient inhales as deeply as possible and
then exhales as hard and quickly as possible into a spirometer. The machine
measures the total amount exhaled and also the amount exhaled in the first
second. Readings are compared to norms that have been established by age,
height, sex and race. Any number greater than 80 percent of predicted
performance is considered normal.
Mallinckrodt Inc. is a global manufacturer and marketer of specialty
medical products designed to sustain breathing, diagnose disease and relieve
pain. Named one of America's most admired medical products and equipment
companies by Fortune magazine, Mallinckrodt does business in more than 100
countries. In fiscal 2000, combined net sales were $2.7 billion for
Mallinckrodt's imaging, pharmaceutical and respiratory product lines. The
company's respiratory products include ventilators, oximeters and sensors,
anesthesia and respiratory devices, oxygen therapy, sleep diagnostics and
therapy, and asthma management. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Mallinckrodt's
website address is http://www.mallinckrodt.com .
CONTACT: Media: Barbara Abbett, 314-654-5230, email,
barbara.abbett@mkg.com , Investor: Robert Martsching, 314-654-3190, email,
Invest@mkg.com , Customer: Customer Service Department, 800-842-8023, all of
Mallinckrodt Inc.; Electronic Photo (.tif) email: brenda.spencer@mkg.com
SOURCE Mallinckrodt Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.mallinckrodt.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/440950.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 440950
CONTACT:
Media: Barbara Abbett, 314-654-5230, email,
barbara.abbett@mkg.com, Investor: Robert Martsching,
314-654-3190, email, Invest@mkg.com, Customer: Customer Service
Department, 800-842-8023, all of Mallinckrodt Inc.
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