Covidien's Nellcor Technology Gets CE Mark - Analyst Blog

Covidien plc COV, one of the leading players in the global healthcare segment, recently secured CE Mark approval for the commercial launch of its Nellcor Respiration Rate System in the EU. Following the announcement, shares of Covidien rose nearly 1.0%.

In addition to the Adult Respiratory Sensor, the system incorporates the Nellcor Respiration Rate Version 2.0 software and the Nellcor Bedside Respiratory Patient Monitoring System, both of which recently received CE Mark approval.

The Nellcor devices from Covidien's oximetry and monitoring products portfolio feature under the Medical Devices segment and were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a year ago.

The Nellcor Respiratory Rate System is a single-sensor, pleth-based respiration rate monitoring technology which allows clinicians to monitor a patient's SpO2 (blood oxygen saturation), pulse rate and respiration rate through a single integrated finger sensor.

Respiratory rates are critical to indicate early stages of respiratory complications, which are often-missing factors in patient monitoring reports. Through a continuous, non-invasive patient monitoring platform, the Nellcor Respiration Rate System provides critical information that enables the review of respiratory trend data over the course of a patient's treatment.

The system reports respiration rates of ± 1 breath per minute when compared to that derived from a capnography-based reference.

Compared to currently available methods, Covidien's Nellcor respiratory system is accurate, easy to use and may enable earlier medical intervention in case of a respiratory compromise.

The Nellcor Respiratory Function portfolio – a single integrated sensor technology – is a significant development in the patient monitoring industry. It provides a comprehensive picture of a patient's overall respiratory status and has the potential to improve patient outcomes and reduce treatment costs.

The Nellcor technology supports Covidien's goal of becoming the front-runner in cutting-edge medical technology that enables clinicians to provide better patient care.

Currently, Covidien retains a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked medical product stocks worth considering are Cardica Inc. CRDC, Eagle Pharmaceuticals Inc. EGRX and NeuroMetrix Inc. NURO. All these stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).