These innovative monitors can feature a one-of-a-kind external display with touch-screen capability that customers can choose as an option in addition to the monitor's built-in, 6.5 inch color, touch-screen display. This larger external display, which comes in various sizes, can be mounted across the room, on a furniture cart in the labor and delivery room, or other convenient locations. This makes the monitors easier for clinicians to use because it allows them to interact with the fetal monitor even when they are not at the patient's bedside.

The new monitors were specifically designed with clinicians and patients in mind. "We constantly seek feedback from our customers, who told us they needed new, advanced features in a fetal monitor with the ability to maximize their investment by utilizing existing cart furniture," said David Russell, vice president of global marketing for Patient Monitoring, Philips Healthcare. "By creating the Avalon FM40 and FM50 with a familiar footprint, combined with new, cutting-edge technology and the patient-centric design of the Avalon family, we are fully equipped to meet this need."

Philips understands that patient comfort is extremely important, so the Avalon transducers are constructed with a softer material which adds to the comfort of the mother during antepartum and labor and delivery monitoring. The large, external display allows the family of the patient to become more involved in the birth experience since they can more easily view what is going on at all times; and for obstetricians and nurse/midwives to be able to view pertinent patient information at a distance. The ability to interface the FM40 and FM50 with the Avalon Cordless Transducer System (CTS) allows the mother to be mobile while she and her baby are being continuously monitored.

The Philips Avalon FM40 and FM50 provide clinicians with advanced, intuitive technologies to care for expectant mothers and their babies. As with the rest of the Avalon fetal-maternal monitoring family, vital patient data is continuously captured by the built-in data buffer system with the added capability of selective data printout, which reduces the risk of data loss. The monitors also feature "smart" transducers with universal plug and play connectors to enhance ease of use. Replacement parts, such as the cables, can be exchanged easily without having to replace an entire unit, reducing the cost of service.

The Philips Avalon FM40 antepartum monitor provides an extensive set of external monitoring capabilities, such as external monitoring of uterine activity, up to three fetal heart rates and fetal movement profile (FMP) via ultrasound. The Avalon FM50 intrapartum monitor includes the external monitoring capabilities of the FM40 and internal fetal measurements including fetal heart rate via direct fetal ECG and intrauterine pressure. Both monitors provide monitoring of maternal blood pressure, SpO2, maternal ECG and maternal heart rate. Both fetal and maternal ECG waves can be displayed on the screen. These new high-end intrapartum and antepartum monitors easily integrate with Philips' obstetrical information system, OB TraceVue, as well as other information systems.

"Fetal monitoring is the standard of care in most modern labor and delivery care settings the world over, but with increasing multiple births, monitoring of twins and triplets is now a required functionality," said Russell. "Like the Avalon FM20 and FM30, the FM40 and FM50 can monitor up to three babies and the mother simultaneously while providing cross channel verification to discriminate between maternal and separate fetal heart rates. Philips is the only provider of non-invasive triplet monitoring in one device."

Russell continued, "The newest addition to the Avalon family further enhances care-givers' ability to provide quality care in a more patient-focused environment by providing advanced monitoring that is extremely intuitive. The capabilities of the Philips fetal-maternal monitoring portfolio help healthcare facilities to differentiate their services and provide expectant mothers with high quality obstetrical care."

About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a global leader in healthcare, lighting and consumer lifestyle, delivering people-centric, innovative products, services and solutions through the brand promise of "sense and simplicity". Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 123,800 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 27 billion in 2007, the company is a market leader in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring systems, energy efficient lighting solutions, as well as lifestyle solutions for personal wellbeing. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.