Kohken Medical (Tokyo, Japan) and Masimo Corporation (Irvine, CA) today announced an agreement under which Kohken will integrate Masimo’s pulse oximetry signal processing and sensor technologies into its current and future patient monitors that include pulse oximetry. Masimo, a privately-held developer of proprietary signal processing and sensor technologies, has created a novel approach that measures arterial oxygen saturation and pulse rate even in the presence of motion artifact.

Eiichi Matsui, President of Kohken Medical, stated, "We are looking forward to including Masimo SET® technology in our patient monitors. This is a significant advancement over previous pulse oximetry technologies and will address the many complaints from clinicians regarding the pulse oximeter’s inability to work effectively under conditions of patient motion or low peripheral blood flow. By incorporating Masimo SET pulse oximetry technology, we will be offering a higher level of care for patients at risk of respiratory problems. We expect to have a long and fruitful relationship with Masimo."

"I am very honored to have Kohken become Masimo’s newest partner," stated Joe E. Kiani, President and Chief Executive Office of Masimo Corporation. "Kohken is a quality company with an outstanding reputation and we are looking forward to working with them. This is our eighth such announcement in recent months and we are very pleased and excited by the accelerating adoption of Masimo SET as the new standard in caring for patients at risk of respiratory complications."

Masimo designs, develops and licenses advanced medical signal processing and sensor technology for the noninvasive monitoring of vital physiological parameters. Masimo is located in Irvine, California.

Kohken Medical designs, manufactures and distributes medical devices for the Japanese market. Kohken’s major areas of expertise are in emergency transport, and adult, neonatal and pediatric respiratory monitoring.