INNOVATONS

FinGERTipS
Nonin Medicals patented wireless medical device aids in the October rescue of 33 trapped Chilean miners.
invented the worlds rst ngertip pulse oximeter to remotely monitor a patients blood oxygen saturation levels without wires, and from anywhere in the world. Today, his companys TEKNE award-winning pulse oximeter products are used by hospitals, doctors and military eld medics, and accompany every climbing group to the top of Mount Everest. In October, Nonins ngertip pulse oximeters were again challenged to work under extreme conditions, this time half a mile below ground in a Copiapo, Chile mine where 33 miners had been trapped since August 5. While Nonin does sell its products to end users, it also sells them to OEMs as components of larger physiological monitoring systems. One such OEM customer is Zephyr Technology, which incorporated Nonin Medicals Onyx II 9560 pulse oximeter model into an extremely compact Physiological Status Monitoring system used by the miners. As part of the system, the Onyx II 9560 pulse oximeter, which is worn and completely contained on the index nger, wirelessly transmits blood oxygen saturation and heart rate data via Bluetooth technology to the rest of the Zephyr PSM system, which in turn sends all data via Bluetooth to a computer for remote monitoring. The PSM systems were lowered through a four-inch wide pipe to the miners more than 2,000 feet below to remotely capture each miners body metrics, including blood oxygenation and heart rate data provided by Nonins product, in real time during their individual ascents in an escape shaft. The information helped doctors at the surface to assess each miners condition during the 20-minute journey, and to quickly determine
4 ENTERPRISE MINNESOTA JAN/FEB 2011

AT THEiR

PHOTOGRApH COURTESY OF NOnIn MEDICAL

In 1995, Nonin Medical founder Phil Isaacson

and prepare the best course of treatment so that it could begin as soon as possible after each miners safe arrival. Isaacson is grateful that his companys products were able to aid in rescue efforts. Before the dawn of the ngertip pulse oximeter model, he recalls pulse oximeters of the 1980s weighing about 20 pounds, with a ngertip sensor attached to a cable, which ran to a box containing the electronics, battery and display. Nonins rst model weighed only two pounds, the result of reducing the number of necessary parts. Models have since continued to reduce in size and weight; Nonins smallest ngertip pulse oximeter weighs less than two ounces. Prior to the rescue, no one in recorded history had ever survived so long after being trapped underground. Isaacson says knowing Nonin products assisted in the rescue efforts has been rewarding for employees throughout the company. Its very gratifying for the company as a whole to be part of this [rescue effort]. I think in the future going forward, the good feeling and goodwill that it brings to the company is important. Very much this was an afrmation that our products are doing the sorts of things that we expect them to do, Isaacson says. To learn more about Nonin Medical, go to www.nonin.com.

Nonin Medicals wireless pulse oximeter was worn by each of the 33 miners during their rescue.