NIHON KOHDEN CardioLife TEC-8300K Series Defibrillators Equipped With A High-acuity Monitor

Category: High-end NIHON KOHDEN CardioLife TEC-8300 series biphasic defibrillators, Acti-Biphasic waveform.

 

 

 

There are five types of CardioLife TEC-8300K series defibrillators

 

It is incomprehensible why many items could not be offered as optional, that they must instead be assembled in the factory before delivery when other manufacturers can do it in the field.

 

There are actually five models of CardioLife TEC-8300K series defibrillators!

 

1. CardioLife TEC-8321K defibrillator

2. CardioLife TEC-8322K defibrillator

3. CardioLife TEC-8332K defibrillator

4. CardioLife TEC-8342K defibrillator

5. CardioLife TEC-8352K defibrillator 

 

 

The many models means inefficiency for distributors and dealers trying to sell any of the defibrillators

It is high inventory cost against the competition.

Why is there a need for so many models?

 

The rigid models implies the lack of designing skills and a burden to users; it is impossible to upgrade a model in the field and a customer must buy a new model if such a need arises.

 

Which of the five models should you keep stock when your competitors only need to keep one?

These are high-end models with a built-in high-acuity patient monitor

Launched in August 2011, the built-in high-acuity monitor in the defibrillator is expected to have networking capability comparable to any high-acuity patient monitor in the hospital, with the ability to connect to a Central Nurse Station, the ability to upload to a ECG Data management server for 12-lead ECG reports of the monitored patient etc. This is typically realized through Ethernet LAN networking capability on the patient monitor.

 

The defibrillators cannot do networking

We were puzzled to find each of the TEC-8300 series defibrillators does not even have an Ethernet LAN output. This clearly meant it does not connect to a monitoring Central Nurse Station or send 12-lead ECG Reports to a ECG Data Management Server while still in the hospital, so how are they going to do it from outside of the hospital? This is important missing specification and we wondered how this product could meet the needs of any competitive market around the world?

 

It is clear again this can only be pushed in the domestic market in Japan, which is protectively-insulated from international high-tech competition, and where the bargaining power of buyers is poor.

 

High-acuity monitors need networking

Below image shows a competing Philips HeartStart MRx with a Central Nurse Station; the HeartStart MRx was launched almost eight years before the CardioLife TEC-8300 series defibrillators. 

The HeartStart MRx can be monitored as a bedside monitor on the ICU Central Nurse Station while inside the hospital, as well as when outside of the hospital. Similarly, the 12-lead ECG reports can also be uploaded to the ECG Data Management Server from the defibrillator when it is inside or outside of the hospital.

 

A competing Philips HeartStart MRx could be linked to IntelliVue Information Center (Central Station) like any bedside monitor inside the hospital

When an advanced defibrillator is outside in the field, it is expected to continue the network link (using the internet) with the hospital, similar to the way real-time stock/ Forex prices are communicated. Such network link allows remote real-time monitoring by hospital physicians to make preliminary diagnosis and care decisions while patient is en route to hospital; this important capability will save valuable time if the patient needs immediate surgery or transfer to another hospital with more appropriate Specialists and facilities.

 

Remote real-time monitoring en route to hospitals is expected as standard for the TEC-8300 series defibrillators

Do you notice 12-lead ECG reports are sent back to the hospital in a technically crude way?

 

The 12-lead ECG reports files of a CardioLife TEC-8300K defibrillator are similar to that from any CardioLife defibrillators, except the files in the CardioLife TEC-8300K defibrillators can be sent out from the defibrillator using wireless Bluetooth technology.

 

The problem is how to send the 12-lead ECG reports files using Bluetooth, so that the hospital end can retrieve and view the files before arrival of the patients?

 

To send 12-lead ECG Reports back to the hospital, a CardioLife TEC-8300K series defibrillator must first transfer them via Bluetooth to a mobile phone. It is unbelievable that the transferred 12-lead ECG report (electronic file) is then manually sent out as an email attachment.

 

To receive the email attachments over at the hospital side, you need to set up a dedicated email server for the sole purpose of receiving these emails that have the 12-lead ECG reports as attachments. Upon receipt of the relevant email, a PC or laptop installed with a QP-832VK TECLink software can access the dedicated email server to retrieve the email.

 

The attached 12-lead ECG report files can then be viewed using a proprietary viewer software from the manufacturer. From the product brochure, the flow is illustrated as shown below.

An amateurish way of sending electronic 12-lead ECG report files back to the hospital

One purchasing evaluation committee in Singapore (who had rejected the product as a joke), suggested product improvement of just equipping the defibrillators with built-in fax capability so that 12-lead ECG reports can be easily received using a fax machine at the hospital side.

Beware the Careless and Dangerous use of Estimated CO2 values as True values

The adoption of semi-quantitative mainstream CO2 measurements by NIHON KOHDEN was to reduce cost and its simplicity also help in miniaturization of the transducers. The first solution offered by Nihon Kohden was the mainstream cap-ONE TG-920P CO2 sensor kit (order code P907) that can be used on non-intubated patients.

 

The cap-ONE TG-920P CO2 sensor kit (P907) has very small sensors because of the adoption of semi-quantitative measurements; the method is not commonly seen and many are not aware of the risks of CO2 readings from the semi-quantitative CO2 kit sets. To make matter worse, the semi-quantitative measurements are also being fed to display a flawed continuous CO2 waveform on screen to users.

 

Nihon Kohden cap-ONE P907 (TG-920P) mainstream CO2 sensor kit

 

Shown below is another TG-900P etCO2 kit set (order code P903) that makes semi-quantitative CO2 measurements on a traditional mainstream CO2 sensor. The TG-901T3 kit set (order code P906) is the same thing but using a non-coded connection plug. The medical devices from same manufacturer that make use of semi-quantitative CO2 kit sets for patient CO2 measurements and waveform include:

- Life Scope patient monitors

- Vismo patient monitors

- Cap-STAT OLG-2800

- CardioLife defibrillators

- Neurofax EEG machines etc.

 

Nihon Kohden semi-quantitative CO2 kit sets with traditional mainstream transducer

 

 

Semi-quantitative CO2 measurements are not a cheap alternative to quantitative CO2 measurements

 

To save costs, the semi-quantitative kit sets do not make measurement during the inspiration phase. The measurement duty cycle is as shown in below image.

 

Semi-quantitative means there is a duty cycle, and measurements are not continuous

 

Semi-quantitative measurement is also of low-accuracy type, performed using one IR detector instead of the usual two to save cost.

 

Contrasting, quantitative measurement delivers high accuracy for critical care. To ensure the necessary high accuracy, quantitative measurement employed two IR detectors for simultaneous CO2 measurements at different wavelength for results comparison. CO2 measurements are also being made continuously, which means it can be fed to display a waveform on screen.

 

Quantitative measurement employs two detectors to make continuous measurement at different wave-lengths to compare readings for high accuracy

 

NIHON KOHDEN specification for TG-901T CO2 sensor kit shows even the specified low accuracy of CO2 measurements using semi-quantitative method no longer holds true once CO2 is present during the inspiration phase. This is because actual CO2 levels can be much higher.

 

In other words, it is an acknowledgement that:

 

1. The measured CO2 value is not the true CO2 level,

 

2. The true CO2 level = (measured CO2 value + x); where x is the unknown CO2 value carried forward from the inspiration phase. Only when x = zero will the measured CO2 value reflect the true CO2 level.

 

It is thus unprofessional to specify a measurement tolerance when there is an unknown in the equation

 

This is not professional specifications

 

As seen from the duty cycle, there is no measurement being made during the inspiration phase, how do the manufacturer or users know the measured CO2 value is the true CO2 level?

 

The specified measurement tolerance is conditional on this assurance and the CO2 value shown to users is therefore wrong and misleading! Each semi-quantitative CO2 measurement is in fact only an estimation, because the users have no way to tell if the x value is indeed zero. It is only assumed to be zero.

In addition, since the users are not alerted on screen there is no CO2 measurement being made during the inspiration phase, they are unknowingly made to take on an unnecessary risk.

 

 

Semi-quantitative measurements are for selective uses with known risks

 

The design cannot be used in a general way, only on a selective basis with known risks. For example, semi-quantitative methodology can be used to estimate the value of etCO2 for airway tube placement confirmation. It cannot be used for continuous waveform display.

 

A hand-held semi-quantitative etCO2 estimation tool (with SpO2) for airway tube placement confirmation

It is a flawed continuous waveform when fed by a source that does not have the ability to make continuous measurements

 

The manufacturer ended up carelessly displaying a flawed continuous CO2 waveform using semi-quantitative measurement kits that do not have ability to make continuous measurements. This is unacceptable, as the manufacturer is subjecting the monitored patients and users to dangerous misinterpretation risks.

 

When there is no measurement being made during the inspiration phase, the displayed CO2 level is forced to a clean zero by design. Is the manufacturer aware that a zero CO2 reading on the waveform means zero measured value, not that you are not measuring? This is basic professional knowledge.

Note the end tidal CO2 (etCO2) value shown is also not alerted as "estimated etCO2" only.

 

A flawed CO2 waveform with non-measurement intervals reflected as zero measured CO2 value

 

The dangerous assumption that expiratory upstrokes always start from zero CO2 level

 

Below image confirms it is dangerous to assume the CO2 level during the inspiration phase is always zero. 

 

Dangerous assumption the manufacturer is making

 

Check the latest updated table to make sure you only use quantitative method for critical measurements and to display a true CO2 waveform on the screen.

Use only quantitative method for waveform display; the quantitative TG-950P (P905) shown here was already discontinued.

CardioLife TEC-8300 series defibrillators are described as using Acti-Biphasic defibrillation shock energy

From advertising material, as well as operating and service manuals of CardioLife Acti-Biphasic defibrillators, we know the declared Acti-Biphasic waveform looks like what is shown in below picture. This is also the waveform submitted to obtain regulatory approvals around the world, supported by a Certificate of Free Sales from Japanese regulatory authority, MHLW and/or CE Certification.

 

THE ACTI-BIPHASIC DISCHARGE OUTPUT WAVEFORM DECLARED BY THE MANUFACTURER

Declared characteristics of the Acti-Biphasic waveform in advertising, operator and service manuals

The basic concept of a bi-phasic shock energy is to add a negative follow-up phase to the conventional mono-phasic shock to achieve the same defibrillation result using lesser energy

  

 

 

The characteristics of NIHON KOHDEN Acti-Biphasic defibrillation can be summarized as:

 

1. First (Launch) Phase

The Acti-Biphasic waveform is seen as operating in an open loop during the first phase (period).

 

- It is a positive truncated exponential pulse with a duration depending on the patient impedance.
- It is of a longer duration than the second period.

 

2. Second (Follow-up) Phase

The Acti-Biphasic waveform operates in a closed loop during the second phase. In a closed loop the duration of the width can be deliberately set to a specific duration.

 

- This second phase (period) is shorter in duration and of negative polarity.
- The duration in this phase is fixed to a constant 3.4ms duration regardless of patient impedance. How was the optimal duration of 3.4ms arrived at? It is also not clear how was the maximum energy of 270 Joules concluded?

Note the first phase (period) is positive and a wider pulse than the second phase

The first to use Acti-Biphasic waveform were the CardioLife TEC-7700K series defibrillators

The CardioLife TEC-7000 series defibrillators had two models, the CardioLife TEC-7721K and CardioLife TEC-7731K (built-in pacing unit).

 

The first Acti-Biphasic defibrillators

 

Output discharged by CardioLife TEC-7700K series defibrillators is consistent with the declared waveform

 

The discharge waveform of the CardioLife TEC-7700K series on a strip chart is as shown below. The recording correctly reflects the first phase as a positive pulse.

The recording shows the voltage first swings to the top (positive saturation), then to negative saturation after some time; this is fully consistent with the official description of the Acti-Biphasic waveform.

 

The reason we are not seeing the full shape of the Acti-Biphasic waveform on the recording is because the sensitivity is set to see the smaller ECG waveform, and not the defibrillation shock which are much higher in magnitude.

 

This strip chart recording shows output of CardioLife TEC-7700K series is consistent with the declared description

 

How can we know if the Acti-Biphasic defibrillation shock actually works on patients?

The margin of error is high for data from a small 75 investigated cases

 

There is no white paper available. The Acti-Biphasic defibrillators were hurriedly launched (for export) before completion of proper clinical validation and the small sample size of seventy five investigated cases meant a high margin of error; we cannot be sure the Acti-Biphasic defibrillation shock works on patients! In addition, how can we be absolutely sure the investigated cases were done in an acceptable manner?

As the mono-phasic defibrillators are not predicate devices so the FDA 510(K) process cannot be used to clear the product for sales in the US market. Since the clinical data and methodology adopted by NIHON KOHDEN does not follow US FDA guide for safety and effectiveness, it was not possible for the Acti-Biphasic defibrillation shock to get the necessary approval for sales in the US market.

 

Nihon Kohden could have engaged a consultant to ensure a proper and acceptable clinical validation process if they were determined in obtaining US FDA approval, but the company gave up the US market.

 

The persistent remarks we often heard on American Heart Association recommendations turned out to be meaningless to Acti-Biphasic defibrillators.

 

Note current CE certification does not guarantee clinical performance since it is not included in evaluation. This means you need clinical papers in addition to CE certification, which is for safety. What is the use of safety without assurance of treatment effectiveness? It is so unfair to the patients needing immediate treatment in a life-threatening situation.

 

There are therefore two very important questions:

1. What was the hidden factor that gave the manufacturer the confidence that no further validation was needed for the Acti-Biphasic defibrillation energy?

2. Why should the manufacturer willingly give up the big US bi-phasic defibrillator market when they were already in the US mono-phasic market?

 

NIHON KOHDEN development team had got it all wrong

In May 1997 Nihon Kohden released the first CardioLife defibrillators with a semi-automatic AED mode for export, they were the predecessors of the AED-2100K series, discharging the same monophasic defibrillation as CardioLife TEC-7500 series defibrillators.

 

The summary of this TEC-2200K series defibrillators can be found in the 1997 Product Guide. 

The monophasic CardioLife TEC-2200K series was launched for export in May 1997

 

 

This was a monophasic model using the non-proprietary Edmark single-phase pulse as illustrated below. This was in response to the emerging demand for AED but the use of rechargeable battery for energy made it inconvenient for public use.

 

Edwark, Single Phase Pulse defibrillation waveform used by monophasic CardioLife TEC-2200K series in 1997

The monophasic output discharge waveform shape is shown below.

 

CardioLife TEC-2200K mono-phasic output waveform recorded on a strip chart dated April 1995

 

Tokyo was unaware biphasic defibrillation was already taking hold worldwide in 1997.

 

Just a few months after the TEC-2200 series was released, then market leader Hewlett Packard made announcement to acquire Heartstream Inc. in a stock-swap deal.

 

Heartstream ForeRunner

Biphasic defibrillation waveform was becoming the new preference as it allowed for a smaller and lighter defibrillator design; more importantly it uses less current and this means less damage defibrillation will do to the heart and skin. The deal with Heartstream was how the then defibrillator market leader HP acquired biphasic technology, since to develop one would take time and speed to market was a top priority; HP was showing the way what Nihon Kohden should also do. 

 

With such a major change in the international market, there was therefore zero interest in the monophasic TEC-2200 series defibrillators offered by Nihon Kohden and the products had to be withdrawn from exporting.

 

Global Demand for Biphasic Technology caught Nihon Kohden by surprise

 

It was a market disruption that NIHON KOHDEN was unprepared for. The company was at a loss for the next four years how to obtain the technology to offer biphasic defibrillators; this meant the company's defibrillator development team was helplessly doing nothing. It was obvious to any observer they could only solve the problem by buying the technology from someone.

When the demand for biphasic AEDs eventually emerged in the Japanese domestic market, the company resorted to find a suitable partner with biphasic technology for co-operation. A strategic OEM distribution agreement was announced in January 2002 that Nihon Kohden would market Cardiac Science's line of AEDs under Nihon Kohden's trade name. This arrangement was a big success and many AED-9200 and AED-9231 were sold in Japan as reflected in annual reports and presentations.

 

Mark the date January 2002, and subsequent release of first Acti-Biphasic defibrillators (CardioLife TEC-7700 series) by NIHON KOHDEN in November 2002.

  

The Cardiac Science STAR biphasic waveform was validated in accordance with US FDA guides for Safety and Effectiveness

The Acti-Biphasic defibrillation shock waveform was done in a hurry

 

To our surprise, instead of licensing the proprietary biphasic defibrillation design from Cardiac Science, a few engineers in NIHON KOHDEN could suddenly conclude a workable, proprietary Acti-Biphasic shock waveform just by playing with biphasic circuitry on pigs with minimal clinical supervision and collaboration, it is no wonder that the company had great difficulty securing the necessary clinical support to advance the number of investigated cases for proper clinical validation.

 

To date, there is not a single clinical paper published on Acti-Biphasic defibrillation.

Unsuspecting Customers were sold Unproven Defibrillators

 

Before completion of proper clinical validations, the company was bold enough to go ahead with exporting the unproven TEC-7700 series Acti-Biphasic defibrillators from November 2002, taking advantage of its established distribution network for mono-phasic defibrillators. The customers were sold unproven defibrillators by taking advantage of their good faith, because there was no published clinical paper to show that it works. This November 2002 export launch was three long years ahead of the date Japan MHLW officially approved its use for the domestic market.

 

The desperate action was taken in response to the rapid changing preference for biphasic defibrillators in the market but the process totally overlooked the seriousness of mandatory successful clinical studies before marketing; the fact that Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) had not yet approved the sales of TEC-7700 series defibrillators in Japan domestic market reflected the disturbing absence of internal safeguards in corporate conduct.

 

Up to this point, the company had never exported a new product before first launching it in Japan, showing the company was in complete disarray. It is not just loss of credibility in overseas markets as a leading defibrillator exporter from Japan but a ticking time bomb with important issues left unattended.

 

Acti-Biphasic defibrillators started to be exported from 2002

 

 

The company only started selling Acti-Biphasic defibrillators in Japan from December 2005

 

After a long period of three years for Japanese Regulatory Authority approval, NIHON KOHDEN was finally able to announce the launch of TEC-7700 series defibrillators for sales in Japan market on December 1st, 2005.

 

 

CardioLife TEC-7700K series defibrillators were the last to use the Acti-Biphasic discharge output for export

 

CardioLife TEC-5500 series defibrillators were quickly approved for sales in Japan after the approval was given for CardioLife TEC-7700 series, based on the principle of declared substantial equivalence with the newly-approved TEC-7700 series. In Japan, the Acti-biphasic waveform discharged by Japanese version TEC-5500 series defibrillators is unlikely to be different from that discharged by TEC-7700 series defibrillators.

However, the export models of the TEC-5500 series, TEC-5600 series and TEC-8300 series defibrillators were all found to have their discharged waveform inverted, but submission documents to foreign regulatory authorities were all based on the TEC-7700 series. Are these regulatory approvals valid?

 

The "Acti-Biphasic" TEC-5500 series defibrillators started to be exported from August 2004, more than a year before the TEC-7700K series defibrillators were allowed for sales in Japan.

 

The shape of the discharge envelope is different from the TEC-7700K series defibrillators. It is a version that is flipped vertically upside down from that of the TEC-7700K series defibrillators! This was not officially announced at the time of launch.

 

Unlike the TEC-7700K series defibrillators, there was not the slightest clinical evidence to support its use. 

CardioLife TEC-5500K series started to be exported from August 2004

The Timeline

Export of CardioLife TEC-5500K series started in August 2004, more than one year before Japan MHLW actually approved the TEC-7700 series

A top prestigious University Hospital in Taiwan was the first to find the polarity of TEC-5500K discharge waveform inverted from what was declared in the operator and service manuals

  

In the next image below, we received an adverse report from a competent Biomedical Engineering Team in National Taiwan University Hospital (Taipei City) that the polarity of measured waveform discharged by two tested CardioLife TEC-5500K series defibrillators were inverted (i.e. opposite in polarity) from what the manuals had described.

There was no doubt since they had tested both models TEC-5521K (S/N 09xx4) and TEC-5531K (S/N 05xx4) to arrive at the same conclusion; the suffix K is for export models using English language as interface (for example the suffix J is for Japan domestic models), indicating more than 9000 units of TEC-5521K and more than 5000 units of TEC-5531K had been produced before the two tested units respectively. Detailed comparison was also done with defibrillators from another manufacturer (Philips) using the same testing equipment (Fluke Impulse 7000DP with 7010 Selectable Load) and the polarity was consistent with the manual descriptions of Philips.

 

This was an input from professionals that the Acti-Biphasic waveform discharged by CardioLife TEC-5500K series defibrillators starts with a negative polarity and ends with a positive polarity; it is the exact opposite polarity (inversion) of what were shown on the operator and service manuals. As far as we know, there is no known manufacturer with a discharged biphasic waveform that starts with a negative polarity, NIHON KOHDEN is unique in this approach but there is no clinical research done to validate its use on patients!

 

Is this equivalent to a delayed fixed-width mono-phasic discharge?

 

An Indirect Confirmation

The following two images showed another distributor (Thailand) sending in a Nihon Kohden defibrillator analyzer AX-103VK (OEM device) for repair.

 

The AX-103VK defibrillator analyzer has a discharge waveform output on the rear panel for oscilloscope display

The analyzer was concluded by their technical staff to be defective because the display on the oscilloscope was inverted; the analyzer was of course working fine. Said Thailand distributor is a top distributor who had sold the highest number of CardioLife TEC-7700K series defibrillators in the world and knew too well what is the "Correct Graph", confident of the defect conclusion. The conclusion turned out to be erroneous because the service manual wrongly informed them a TEC-5500K series defibrillator has similar output as a TEC-7700K series defibrillator.

Guess what? Someone (engineer) from Tokyo Support has the audacity to ask the distributor staff to "just flip the APEX/ STERNUM connections" to obtain the "correct graph"!

 

It was desperate advice, and an indirect confirmation that the discharge output waveform had been flipped intentionally.

 

Why should changing an "Evaluation machine" from a TEC-7700K defibrillator to a TEC-5500K defibrillator make a difference?

 

One likely reason could be the shape of the Acti-Biphasic waveform may have violated a certain company's rights; does the inverted waveform only apply to export models since Japan MHLW solely approved the version adopted by the CardioLife TEC-7700 series?

 

The declared current flow direction of NIHON KOHDEN Acti-Biphasic shock energy is the one on the left while we discovered actual biphasic flow is the one shown on the right

The clinical trial data cited to regulatory authorities is based on the TEC-7700 series defibrillators for all Acti-Biphasic defibrillators, including the TEC-5500 series, TEC-8300 series and latest TEC-5600 series.

 

Clinical data from TEC-7700 series defibrillators provided as support

 

It means there is no approval from regulatory authorities to use a discharge waveform that is flipped upside down, and this is a ticking time bomb.

 

Change in current direction demands fresh clinical trial and validation

As a responsible company, NIHON KOHDEN should have by now long recalled all Acti-Biphasic defibrillators from the market.

 

 

How can anyone view the discharge output of a NIHON KOHDEN defibrillator?

The QP-551VK defibrillator report viewer software can be used on a PC or laptop to review event recorded by any CardioLife defibrillator, including the AED defibrillators.

 

The defibrillator report viewer is for reviewing events recorded by a NIHON KOHDEN defibrillator

 

NIHON KOHDEN AEDs are not using the Acti-Biphasic discharge output

The first biphasic AED was exported by NIHON KOHDEN from October 2009 (Signal SE.C-19), and the model was known as AED-2100K. The new model retained many features and appearance of the Cardiac Science OEM models but claimed to discharge the same Acti-Biphasic output energy as the CardioLife TEC-7700K series defibrillators.

 

We found the two have dissimilar discharge output, and you can see a direct comparison of the two in this below image.

 

 

The AED-2100K is actually discharging a monophasic output energy similar to TEC-2200 series AED defibrillator. As we had mentioned earlier, the latter was released in May 1997, at a time when Nihon Kohden had not released any bi-phasic defibrillator.

 

Thus, like the CardioLife TEC-5500K series defibrillators, the AED-2100K defibrillator was also seen to avoid the declared Acti-Biphasic discharge waveform but in a different way.

  

A more compact and lower-cost AED-3100 has now replaced AED-2100 series with some small changes. This means the AED-3100 is obviously not a bi-phasic AED.

 

 

The discharge output of AED-2100 is the same as older monophasic defibrillators

 

Below shows a review screen of an AED-2100 defibrillation event using the QP-551VK software; the event was recorded using a simulator with TTR value of 49 ohm. Notice the discharge output of AED-2100 is the same as older TEC-2200K mono-phasic defibrillator.

 

Where is the negative second phase?

 

For review, the CardioLife TEC-2200K series and discharge output waveform are shown again in below picture.

 

The TEC-2200K series with its mono-phasic discharge output waveform dated April 1995, which of course did not have a negative second phase

 

CardioLife TEC-8300 series defibrillators are using Smart Cables for monitoring mainstream CO2, IBP and Temperature?

Why share connector sockets?

It is claimed that a monitor making use of Smart Cables has high flexibility amounting to modular capability; is this true? So far, it remains an assertion and the manufacturer does not provide supporting evidence to back it up.

 

See case studies regarding the use of Smart Cables and yellow MULTI sockets.

 

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