Vocera acquires mVisum

Vocera Communications, a Calif.-based provider of integrated mobile communications solutions, has acquired mVisum, a provider of alarm management, according to an announcement. The mVisum transaction—an asset purchase valued at $3.5 million—closed on Jan.13.

mVisum's medical device alarm management platform is designed to reduce alarm fatigue by offering a closed-loop secondary alarm notification system with audio-visual cues and contextual data, like ECG waveforms, to clinicians via smartphones and other devices, according to the press release. The software has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA.

Alarm fatigue, in which clinicians are desensitized to the large volume of machine noises, is receiving an increasing amount of attention due to the patient safety risks involved. The Joint Commission approved a new National Patient Safety Goal on clinical alarm safety, effective January 2014.