The Society for Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) has chosen Masimo Corporation as the recipient of this year’s SCCM Technology Excellence Award. This award, which recognizes outstanding strides in technology which benefit critical care medicine, will be formally given to Joe E. Kiani, Founder and President of Masimo Corporation, at the SCCM Conference to be held in Orlando, Florida from February 11 through February 15.
This is the first year such an award is being given to someone in the industry. The SCCM Awards had previously been given only to clinicians and non-industry researchers. According to the SCCM, “Masimo’s design convinced intensivists that pulse oximetry could work on the toughest patients and be useful during motion and low perfusion, thus raising the bar in the standards critical care medicine can now apply to future technology.”
“It is important that true technological innovators be recognized and rewarded for their efforts,” commented Max H. Weil, MD, PhD, FCCM, Distinguished University Professor and founder of the SCCM. “Prior to Masimo’s contributions, the false alarms and unreliability of pulse oximeters were assumed to be inherent and insurmountable limitations of the measurement. Masimo did not accept this and made an intuitive leap to create what is now the new standard of performance for pulse oximeters. Having dedicated my career to advancing the care of critically ill patients, I am happy to see that better care will result and the standards are being raised as a result of Masimo’s technological breakthrough. Masimo has truly earned this award.”
