Philips Wins FDA Clearance and Launches EMS Remote Monitoring and Defibrillation Solution in U.S.

The need for emergency medical services (EMS) outside of the hospital setting is on the rise, with an estimated 240 millions 9-1-1 calls made in the US annually. While medical equipment used in this setting must be available, manipulable, and able to share important data across a variety of unknown situations, historically it has been cumbersome and limited in its connectivity.

Global healthcare technology company Philips is seeking to address the needs of the EMS provider. At HIMSS earlier this year, Philips launched its emergency care informatics suite in the US (formerly only available in Europe) to support real-time, bi-directional communication between emergency responders in the field and doctors in the hospital. Alongside tools for advanced vital signs monitoring, the combined hardware and software platform provides a robust set of support capabilities for the emergency care setting.

This week Philips announced the launch of Tempus ALS, a remote monitoring and defibrillator solution. The solution further expands the scope of care for first responders with a remote, portable vital sign monitor (Tempus Pro) and a remote, professional defibrillator (Tempus LS-Manual). The defibrillator is the last component of the solution to receive 510(k) clearance from the FDA and is now available for sale in the US.

Both Tempus Pro and Tempus LS-Manual can be operated independently and integrate to share data with Philips’ Intellispace Corsium software platform. The web-based platform is designed to support in-transit activities and electronic patient care recording with real-time data sharing and communication capabilities, including features like interactive electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement.

According to Arman Voskerchyan, General Manager of Therapeutic Care at Philips, “The integrated remote monitoring and defibrillator solution combined with our web-based software platform will help front line responders provide emergency care, diagnosis and treatment – including defibrillation therapy, data management and clinical and operational efficiency features – in a fully integrated solution.”