Radiometer Announces Contract Agreements
Radiometer America Inc, Westlake, Ohio, has announced contract agreements with Curative Health System (CHS), Setauket, NY; Novation, Dallas; and the Department of Veterans Affairs National Acquisition Center, Hines, Ill.

The agreement with CHS call for a new, 2-year, sole source transcutaneous contract that covers the entire transcutaneous product line and extends the partnership from the previous 3 years.

Novation, the United States largest purchasing organization for hospitals, has awarded Radiometer a 3-year supply agreement with two, 1-year renewal options. Radiometer will supply blood gas products.

The company was also awarded a FSS contract by the Department of Veterans Affairs National Acquisition Center, Hines, Ill. The multivendor contract was awarded for 1 year with a follow-up option for 5 years, and includes a full array of products and services, including the ABL600 Series, EML100 Series, ABL700 Series, and ABL70 system. The Red System programs, such as TCAP, the Total Cost Analysis Program for analyzing hospital based direct and indirect costs, will be extended to any federal government facility located within the continental US.

PDS Announces Y2K Compliance
PDS Instrumentation, Louisville, Colo, has declared that software versions for the KoKo Spirometer, KoKo Trek Spirometer, Keystone Pulmonary Function Analyzer, and the KoKo Rhythm ECG Recorder have been updated and are fully compliant for the year 2000.

However, PDS does not guarantee year 2000 compliance for any computer hardware used with PDS Instrumentation equipment, including computer hardware purchased from PDS.

For information regarding the compliance of your computer, contact the manufacturer for certification. For more information about Y2K compliance or software updates, call (800) 785-6662 or (303) 666-8100.

Zenith Award Winners Announced
The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), announced the winners of the 1998 Zenith Award at the international conference held in Atlanta.

The winners are Respironics, Pittsburgh, Pa; AVL Scientific Corp, Roswell, Ga; DEY, Napa, Calif; DHD Healthcare, Canastota, NY; Nellcor Puritan Bennett, a division of Mallinckrodt, St Louis.

AARC established the Zenith Award program to enable its more than 35,000 members to honor those manufacturers and service organizations that consistently provide outstanding service to customers.

QRS Receives Clearance For Spirometer
QRS Diagnostic, LLC, Plymouth, Minn, has received FDA 510(k) market clearance for its SpiroCardr spirometer–the world’s first spirometer contained entirely in a Type II PC card specifically designed for use on personal or handheld computers. SpiroCard performs all tests that physicians require, including FVC, pre/post bronchodilator studies, MVV, and SVC, and exceeds the American Thoracic Society’s (ATS) Standardization of Spirometry.

The first in a full line of low-cost diagnostic and monitoring medical devices, SpiroCard utilizes precalibrated disposable pneumotachs that eliminate the nuisance of calibration and cleaning. The software included with the device allows users to choose between the new 3-speed ATS calibration or a standard calibration check.

Western Medica Unveils New Logo
Western Medica, Westlake, Ohio, introduced its new corporate logo at the Medtrade show held in November in Atlanta.

The logo reflects Western’s reputation as a state-of-the-art manufacturer and developer of products for the control, storage, and transmission of high pressure gases. The new logo–with its updated colors, icon, text, and “gas control technology” tag line–communicates the company’s leadership status and recognized level of expertise in the industry.

Western has served the needs of the industrial and medical gas markets for more than 40 years. Its full line of products for the home care and hospital market ranges from fittings/quick connects to regulators, cylinders, flow meters, oxygen conserving devices, and transfill systems.

Featured Speaker Discusses Digital Pulmonary Acoustics
More than 140 respiratory care professionals were on hand for a discussion on “Digital Pulmonary Acoustics, The State of the Art, and the Role of the Respiratory Care Professional,” sponsored by SensorMedics Corp, Yorba Linda, Calif, at the international meeting of the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC).

Paul Mathews, PhD, RRT, FCCM, and member of RTs editorial advisory board, introduced the featured speaker, Noam Gavriely MD, DSc, professor of pulmonary physiology at the Technion School of Medicine, Haifa, Israel, and president of Karmel Medical Acoustic Technologies Ltd, Israel.

Digital pulmonary acoustics is a new technology for computerized monitoring of breath sounds that will open new vistas for diagnostic opportunities for RCPs in the near future. Examples include pulmonary function testing in children, geriatrics patients, and the physically, mentally, or neurologically impaired who require effortless testing; monitoring for wheezes and nocturnal wheezes in asthma patients, the applications of this technology for ventilated and CHF patient care; and educational use in pulmonary acoustic curricula in respiratory care education.

BCI Awarded Contract
BCI International has been awarded an 8-year pulse oximetry contract with Tenet HealthSystem/BuyPower, Dallas.

“Tenet members and affiliates have demonstrated very high levels of compliance with suppliers who have agreements with Tenet HealthSystem/BuyPower,” said Paul Pujanauski, vice president domestic sales and marketing for BCI International. “Our contract with Tenet will enable us to increase product sales by addressing the financial aid and clinical needs and requirements of those served by BuyPower.”

Winners Announced in Drawing
Sleep Sciences, Atlanta, held a drawing at the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) international meeting for free student tuition at the Institute of Sleep Medicine, Birmingham, Ala.

The winners are: Martin Moomah, RRT, Grand Junction, Colo; Paul Loyd, RRT, Mesquite, Tex; Sumatra Drayton, RRT, Smyrna, Tenn; and Sandra Staker, RRT, Prescott Valley, AR.

Valued at $2400, the 2-week program provides a basic overview for those who are considering a career in sleep therapy. The response from the drawing was highly successful, according to David P. Simic, national director, sales and marketing, and another tuition giveaway may be done next year.

Pulmonetic Announces New Product
Pulmonetic Systems, Inc, Colton, Calif, has received 510(k) clearance for its new LTV 1000 ventilator for continuous life supporting ventilation. The device is intended to provide mechanical ventilation for pediatric and adult patients in a hospital or healthcare facility and can be used for intra- or inter-facility transport. An approval for homecare is pending.

The system is the smallest, full-featured ventilator available on the market and weighs less than 13 pounds. The unit is completely self-contained with its own internal battery source and does not require compressed air.

“Other similar devices on the market weigh more than 30 pounds and are very bulky so the ventilator becomes the mobility-limiting element for a patient,” said Douglas DeVries, company founder, president and CEO. “Our miniaturization and electro-mechanical technology will bring advanced capabilities such as pressure control and flow-triggering to the patient throughout the course of care and will allow him to be as mobile as possible.”

Novation Awards Instrumentation Laboratory Supply Agreement
Novation has awarded a supply agreement to Instrumentation Laboratory SpA (IL), Milan, Italy.

The 3-year agreement covers IL’s complete line of critical care testing instruments, consumables, and service and information management products for use in hospital laboratories and at the point-of-care, including IL SynthesisT, GEMr PremierT, GEM PCLT, GEM SensiCathr, and IMPACT T for Critical Care.

AVL Hosts Fun Run
AVL Medical Instruments, Roswell, Ga, hosted a 5K Fun Run at the international meeting of the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) held November in Atlanta. Nearly 125 people participated in the fourth annual event. The top three men and women were presented with plaques, and each participant received a T-shirt.

Dr„ger Hosts BMW Drawing
Dr„ger Inc Critical Care Systems, Telford, Pa, congratulates Tate Bennett, RCP, Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, Fayetteville, North Carolina, as the grandprize winner of its “Mission Possible” contest.

Bennett received a cash prize allowing him the option to lease a BMW Z3 Roadster convertible. More than 2,000 attendees visited Dr„ger’s exhibit, making this year’s conference the most successful for the company.

With production beginning of the Evita 2 Dura and E4 and release of Babylog 8000 Plus with Advanced Neonatal software, Dr„ger’s success will continue into the new year, and looks forward to its mutual participation in next year’s AARC conference.

Erratum
In the October/November 1998 issue of RT, the names of two men that appeared in the Radiometer America ad on page 113 were inadvertently omitted. Pictured from left to right are: Peter Krstein, president, general manager of Radiometer Medical A/S; and Johan Schroder, president, CEO of Radiometer A/S.

Siemens Receives Summit Award

The Electromedical Systems Division (EM) of Siemens Medical Systems Inc, Danvers, Mass, has received the Summit Award from the South Carolina Society for Respiratory Care.

The Summit Award acknowledges excellence in the areas of education, consultative services, and customer support in the respiratory field. Siemens currently supports approximately 25 hospitals in South Carolina with ventilators for advanced acute care units.

“The customer service and product support by Siemens representative Mike MacGregor impressed several of our members,” said Laura Lucas, vendor coordinator for the annual meeting. “Our members look for vendors who exceed expectations in education, provide the kind of customer support hospitals demand, and are there for consultation as needed. Siemens did it all.”

“Hospitals need to provide continuous care while we install new equipment and systems. This year we had installations that needed some special attention. We were available to those hospitals 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said MacGregor, respiratory care territory manager for the Carolinas. “We worked hard to ensure that everything went smoothly. We just tried to do whatever was needed.”