After receiving 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its professional defibrillator, the Tempus LS-Manual, Philips today launched its remote-monitoring and defibrillator system, Tempus ALS.

The platform combines three Philips products to remotely monitor vital signs, restore heart functions with the defibrillator and wirelessly share data. It is now available for sale in the U.S.

The system was designed to be used by first responders in emergency situations to improve treatment decisions, according to Philips.

Philips’ Tempus Pro portable vital-sign monitor and the Tempus LS-Manual defibrillator can be used together or separately. The two devices can connect remotely to Philips’ web-based platform, the IntelliSpace Corsium, to share vitals, waveforms and images. The platform also allows for two-way communication between first responders and hospitals.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Between 2014 and 2017, there were almost 4 million emergency medical service activations for traffic crashes alone, according to the National EMS Dashboard.

Of those incidents, nearly 55% involved EMS treatment on scene before transportation to a care facility. The average amount of time from when first-responders arrived at the scene until they departed was less than 20 minutes. Getting from the scene to the care destination typically took under 15 minutes.

A study in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery found that more time spent at the scene correlated with higher mortality rates.

Additionally, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration considers receiving patient data on the scene in real-time to be advantageous to health outcomes, according to the 2020 National EMS Assessment.

THE LARGER TREND

Philips has a suite of emergency care tools. Earlier this year, it launched an emergency informatics suite that transmitted patient information directly to hospitals to allow providers to prepare for their arrival.

Also in the emergency care space is RapidSOS, which received $21 million in June for its digital platform. With its technology, RapidSOS shares information like a caller's name, location and opt-in health information to 911 operators and first responders.

In Sweden, the company SOS Alarm has begun a trial that uses drones to deliver Automated External Defibrillators (AED) for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA). The hope is to decrease mortality, because the chance of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest is reduced by 10% for each minute that the patient does not receive CPR or defibrillation.

ON THE RECORD

“In emergency situations, where seconds count, having access to advanced patient data collection and sharing and real-time secure data streaming, can help inform confident treatment and transport decisions outside the hospital,” said Arman Voskerchyan, the general manager of therapeutic care at Philips, in a statement. “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.”