Masimo Receives 2009 Zenith Award at the American Association of Respiratory Care Congress

Masimo Rainbow SET(R) Acoustic Respiration Rate Monitoring Generates Significant Interest
IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 9 /Masimo (Nasdaq: MASI), the inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry and Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, announced today that it has received the prestigious Zenith Award for equipment and service excellence from the American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC) at their 55th Annual AARC International Congress in San Antonio, Texas. Masimo Rainbow SET Acoustic Monitoring was also featured in live demonstrations at the Masimo commercial exhibit and received very favorable reviews from respiratory therapists.

For the second year in a row, Masimo has achieved AARC's top industry recognition honoring respiratory care equipment and pharmaceutical manufacturers for quality and service excellence. More than 400 companies were eligible for one of five Zenith Award honors. Award winners are chosen by the association's membership--more than 44,000 respiratory care professionals--based upon the quality of equipment and/or supplies, accessibility and helpfulness of sales personnel, as well as the company's responsiveness, service record, truth in advertising, and overall support of the respiratory care profession.

In addition, hundreds of respiratory care professionals from all over the world were among the first to see live demonstrations of Masimo Rainbow SET Acoustic Monitoring--providing noninvasive and continuous respiration rate (RRa(TM)) that is accurate, easy-to-use, and enhances patient compliance. Masimo Rainbow SET Acoustic Monitoring may enable earlier detection of respiratory compromise and patient distress--offering a breakthrough in patient safety for post-surgical patients on the general floor. Comments received from respiratory therapists at the AARC Congress included the following:

David Gibson, RRT, Supervisor, Medical City Dallas Hospital in Dallas, Texas, stated: "As a caregiver, I appreciate Masimo's commitment to innovation--they have done it again with their new Acoustic Respiration Rate Monitoring technology. Finally, there is a reliable, easy, comfortable, and cost-effective way to monitor breathing sounds on my patients on the general floor."

Jenni Raake, MBA, RRT, Respiratory Care Coordinator, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, stated: "I see so many uses for Masimo's Rainbow Acoustic Monitoring, across so many care areas. With the wireless Masimo Rad-87 monitor, I believe it will be a great technology for patients needing ambulation. It should also be perfect for conscious sedation procedures."

Abbie Rosenberg, RRT, RCP in Santa Cruz, California, added: "I believe that Masimo Acoustic Respiration Rate will help hospitals effectively monitor and avoid sentinel events in post-surgical patients using patient controlled analgesic pumps."

Joe Kiani, Founder & CEO of Masimo, stated: "We are honored to receive the Zenith Award. This recognition is especially gratifying because it comes from the clinicians who use our products every day. It's also exciting to see the reactions and hear the positive reviews from respiratory therapists who saw first-hand demonstrations of Rainbow Acoustic Monitoring."

Michael O'Reilly, MD, Masimo's EVP of Medical Affairs, stated: "Respiratory care professionals attending the AARC Congress were truly excited by the introduction of Rainbow SET Acoustic Monitoring with its ability to monitor the breathing status of patients, 24/7. Respiratory care professionals are not alone in their excitement, as all clinicians who care for patients receiving patient-controlled analgesia for pain management know that sedation can slow breathing and place patients at considerable risk. For these patients, early intervention and appropriate treatment could mean the difference between life and death."