GE Healthcare announced that its Carescape B650 monitor secured FDA clearance this week. The monitor offers data integration and connectivity, consistency between care areas and -- mobility.

"The monitor can run via a wireless local area network and can be battery operated, reducing the need for wall cables. The CARESCAPE Monitor B650 continuously transmits data to the central station, even when the monitor is moved while connected to a patient," according to GE Healthcare's press release.

“Many hospitals are demanding facility-wide, patient monitoring implementations that enable data continuity, without compromising individual care area demands,” said David Ataide, vice president and general manager of Patient Care Solutions, GE Healthcare. “The CARESCAPE Monitor B650 supports our commitment to standardizing patient monitoring on a single, integrated platform and improving clinician access to patient information at the point of care. GE Healthcare recognizes that efficient access to quality patient information supports fast clinical decision-making, which may lead to improved patient outcomes.”

The market for wireless in-hospital patient monitors is growing: According to a new report from Greystone Research Associates, wirelessly enabled in-hospital patient monitors will grow at a modest but steady annual growth rate of 13 percent between now and 2014. Hospitals that currently own wireless monitors will be the ones spending the most on them during the period.

More from GE Healthcare's FDA announcement here