Andover, Mass. - Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHI) today showcased its industry-leading portfolio of patient monitoring systems designed to make clinical information from patient monitors more meaningful, easier to understand and simple to use. Philips' versatile range of monitoring systems, including the ProtocolWatch application that applies patient data to evidence-based care protocols, are on display at the American Association of Critical Care Nurses' National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI) meeting in Atlanta.

With a mortality rate of 28 to 50 percent, severe sepsis, or septic shock, is the leading cause of death in non-cardiac intensive care units. Philips ProtocolWatch aims to improve clinical confidence by utilizing the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) protocols to define physiological parameters that indicate the onset of sepsis. Established guidelines developed by the SSC may help hospitals reduce mortality and the significant costs associated with sepsis treatment.

"Through bedside monitoring measurements, ProtocolWatch offers relevant screening and treatment information from evidence-based guidelines to help clinicians make accurate and timely decisions regarding patient care," said Karen Guiliano, Ph.D., RN, clinical scientist, for Philips Medical Systems. "When a parameter reaches the limits per the SSC protocol, a window appears on the monitor screen and prompts clinicians to check for other clinical signs of severe sepsis."

Leading Hospital Reinforces Quality Guidelines with ProtocolWatch

Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center in Portland, Oregon began a quality initiative for sepsis in the fall of 2006, leading the hospital to develop its own protocols that follow the SSC guidelines. A leader in embracing evidence-based medicine, Good Samaritan Hospital recently installed ProtocolWatch in its large, 28-bed intensive care unit (ICU) to help reinforce this initiative, as well as increase the clinical knowledge base of hospital staff.

"Instead of evaluating a patient's condition and waiting for lab results, the ProtocolWatch application is able to help identify early indicators of sepsis, allowing our treatment to begin in a more timely manner," said LuAnn Staul, clinical nurse specialist, Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital. "According to SSC protocols, treatment should be completed during the first six hours following sepsis identification. Since implementing ProtocolWatch, we have been able to complete interventions in less than six hours by virtue of having clear cues and a relevant timeline available, which helps remove obstacles when providing care to critically ill patients."

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