Heart Hospital of Milwaukee first to use new GE Healthcare patient monitor

The Heart Hospital of Milwaukee is the first medical facility in the world to use the most updated version of GE Healthcare’s Dash patient monitor.
The Dash4000 patient monitor was added at the Heart Hospital of Milwaukee in March, said Heart Hospital of Milwaukee spokeswoman Carol DuMais.
Unlike its predecessors in GE Healthcare’s Dash series, the Dash4000 patient monitor can be used to measure blood pressure invasively, by inserting measuring devices into the heart or major blood vessels. Invasive measurements are considered more accurate than the non-invasive approach of placing a cuff on the patient’s upper arm, DuMais said.
Invasive measurements are used for patients with serious illnesses or injuries when doctors need precise information about blood flow and heart function.
Charlotte, N.C.-based MedCath Corp., which owns the Heart Hospital of Milwaukee, purchased the equipment for its Milwaukee hospital from Pewaukee-based GE Healthcare, DuMais said.
The Heart Hospital of Milwaukee is the first to receive the Dash 4000 because of the timing of the hospital’s opening, which occurred in October, DuMais said,
"GE works with several of our hospitals across the country," she said. "We opened at about the time they developed the (Dash 4000) product."
The GE Dash patient monitor is used to measure a patient’s vital signs and can also measure body temperature, heart rate and the amount of oxygen in the blood. Clinicians using the patient monitor also are able to measure blood pressure from four locations in the body at the same time.
"Now, a hospital can use the Dash series of monitors for a wide range of patients, from those needing intensive care to those with relatively minor conditions," said Kevin King, vice president of clinical systems for GE Healthcare. "With more measurements available on a single monitor, the hospital needs fewer stand-alone monitoring devices. There is less switching of patients from one monitor to another, and it is easier to transport patients between departments because fewer monitoring devices have to be moved with the patient. This can result in lower costs and greater efficiency."
The medical staff at the Heart Hospital of Milwaukee encouraged GE Healthcare to investigate the new monitoring capability, King said.
"This is an example of patients benefiting from a collaboration between healthcare providers and medical technology companies," he said. "We look forward to offering this technology in the health care market."
The new patient monitor eventually will be made available to hospitals worldwide.
"This new advance in blood pressure measurement is consistent with our intent to deliver the highest quality care by using the latest and best in medical technology," said John Antes, president and chief executive officer of the Heart Hospital of Milwaukee. "We are pleased to have contributed to the development of a GE product with potential to help many heart patients around the nation and the world."
April 30, 2004 Small Business Times, Milwaukee