May 2, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 72 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CELEBRATING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF MASIMO CORPORATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KATIE PORTER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 2, 2019

  Ms. PORTER. Madam Speaker, it is my honor to recognize the 30th 
anniversary of Masimo Corporation, a healthcare technology company 
based in Irvine, California, and to celebrate its innovation and 
commitment to improving patient safety around the world. Masimo has 
helped solve the ``unsolvable'' by introducing lifesaving breakthroughs 
in noninvasive patient monitoring.
   Masimo's founder, chairman, and chief executive officer, Joe Kiani, 
immigrated to the United States when he was 9 years old and only spoke 
three words of English. Originally trained as an electrical engineer, 
he thrived in his new home and graduated early from both high school 
and San Diego State University.
   In 1989, at age 24, Mr. Kiani had an idea that would significantly 
improve the accuracy and reliability of one of the most commonly used 
monitoring technologies in health care: the pulse oximeter. By 
attaching to your finger, the pulse oximeter measures how much oxygen 
is in the blood within seconds. With a $40,000 loan against his condo 
in Orange County, Mr. Kiani started his company in a location that many 
successful California companies often do--in a garage. Today, Masimo 
Corporation's Irvine headquarters can be recognized as the set for 
Stark Enterprises in the first ``Iron Man'' movie.
   Before Masimo Corporation was founded, pulse oximeters frequently 
produced false alerts based on a variety of factors and the patient's 
movements. Mr. Kiani applied a technology called adaptive filters, used 
in submarine warfare and communication, and created Masimo SET Measure-
through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry. This technology 
reduced false alarms by 95 percent, and its high degree of sensitivity 
pioneered new findings--from previously undetectable heart problems in 
newborns to reducing blindness in premature babies by enabling 
clinicians to better target oxygen levels provided in neonatal care.
   Since its founding, Masimo has grown into a successful publicly 
traded company employing more than 4,600 people worldwide, with annual 
revenues of nearly $800 million. The company has more than 600 patents, 
and Masimo's technology improves the health outcomes of an estimated 
100 million patients worldwide each year.
  The journey of Mr. Kiani and Masimo is an American story rooted in 
entrepreneurial spirit and grit. Its worldwide success has created 
jobs, nurtured research, and improved patient safety. On behalf of the 
45th Congressional District, congratulations for 30 years of providing 
lifesaving and life-altering health care.

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