• Zoll Medical (Chelmsford, Massachusetts) said it has expanded its line of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) with the introduction of the Zoll AED Pro, which received 510(k) marketing clearance from the FDA last week. The company said it plans to begin shipments of the new AED next month. New features include ECG monitoring with standard ECG electrodes, plus automated capability combined with manual defibrillation, with controlled access for advanced life support (ALS) users. The AED Pro was developed for extreme environments and has an outer housing made of a polycarbonate-siloxane resin the material used in professional football helmets. Zoll said it is the only AED in the industry to pass a 1.5-meter drop test and also has an IPX5 rating for water resistance, which in combination allows the device to perform in harsh weather and other extreme conditions. Zoll plans to offer the AED Pro in three models: semi-automatic for basic life support (BLS) providers, semi-automatic with a manual override capability for BLS and ALS; and a manual-only model, suited for skilled users such as physicians.

• Zynex Medical (Littleton, Colorado) reported the start of a new randomized, double-blinded clinical study for the use of its NeuroMove device for stroke patients at the Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research. The study will focus on improvements in the lower extremities and measure improvements, such as walking distance and strength. Sales and marketing of the FDA-approved NeuroMove device is done through Stroke Recovery Systems, a division of Zynex Medical.