Allied Announces Officer; and Unveils Web Site
Allied Healthcare Products Inc, St Louis, has named Thomas A. Jenuleson as vice president of finance and chief financial officer. The company also launched a new version of its Web site, www.alliedhpi.com, to better meet the needs of customers.

“Mr Jenuleson’s extensive financial and administrative experience, coupled with his manufacturing background, is a great fit for Allied,” says Uma Nandan Aggarwal, CEO of Allied. “We are confident that his leadership in our financial areas will prove to be invaluable as Allied continues its focus on improving profitability and strengthening itself financially.”

Allied’s new version of its Web site includes general information on
all of Allied’s product lines, as well as detailed specifications and ordering instructions for its medical gas construction products marketed under the Chemetronr brand name.

In the future, the site will expand to include product use and maintenance tips and information on the company’s training programs. Additional long-term Internet strategies include plans to develop secure areas within the Web site for its major customers and distributors.

Respironics Renews Contract with Apria
Respironics Inc, Pittsburgh, has renewed its contract with Apria Healthcare Group Inc, Costa Mesa, Calif, to supply respiratory products through the end of February 2002. In addition, Respironics has been named a shared primary supplier for volume ventilators.

Under the terms of the renewed contract, Respironics is the primary supplier for all sleep therapy units and accessories. It also will be the single source supplier for sleep study equipment and accessories, and infant apnea monitors and accessories.

“We are very pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with the Apria people. They are one of our largest customers,” says Dennis S. Meteny, president and chief executive officer. “We are striving to be able to supply both large and small customers with a full range of respiratory products, and we will work very hard to take care of all of Apria’s needs.”

Respironics is a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of technologically advanced medical devices; Apria Healthcare is a provider of home health care services.

Siemens Medical Receives Award for Ventilators
Siemens Medical Systems, Electromedical Systems Division, Danvers, Mass, has received the 1998 Market Engineering Product Quality Award from Frost & Sullivan, Mountain View, Calif, for its ventilator products, the Siemens Servo 300 and Servo 300A. The award recognizes superior product quality in the medical ventilator marketplace.

The award is based on Frost & Sullivan’s strategic market engineering study, the US Medical Ventilator Markets. Siemens was selected to receive the award because of its user-friendly design and cost savings potential. Criteria for the award included identification of industry challenges, market
engineering measurements, strategic recommendations, and planning and market monitoring.

The Siemens Servo 300 and Servo 300A ventilators can be used for all patients, from neonate to adult. Cost savings from standardization include improved equipment utilization rates, reduced rental costs, a shorter staff learning curve, simplified maintenance, and lower training costs.

Dale Medical Provides Grant to Launch Newsletter
Dale Medical Products Inc, Plainville, Mass, and Cross Country Nursing, Boca Raton, Fla, have announced their collaboration on a new publication aimed at nurses and other health care professionals, called Perspectives (Recovering Strategies from the OR to the Home).

The eight-page, quarterly newsletter is sponsored by an educational grant from Dale Medical Products and its continuing education articles are reviewed for accreditation by Cross Country University. The newsletter is free of charge and contains information on postoperative recovery strategies. The publication is overseen by a six-member, national advisory board of nurses, educators, and clinicians who provide editorial direction.

For information on receiving Perspectives, contact Saxe Healthcare Communications, PO Box 1282, Burlington, VT 05402, or call (802) 655-3105, fax (802) 655-3127, or email [email protected]. Perspectives is also available on the Internet at www.perspectivesinnursing.org.

Respironics Announces Agreement; Third Quarter Results
Respironics Inc, Pittsburgh, has announced that Tri-anim Health Services Inc, Sylmar, Calif, is the primary sales and distribution partner for Respironics’ BiPAPr VisionT Ventilatory System. The company also reported its third quarter fiscal 1999 results.

“Tri-anim, a proven performer in the US hospital marketplace, is a perfect complement to our ventilation sales specialists,” says John Miclot, senior vice president for sales, marketing, and manufacturing at Respironics. “Our jointly developed marketing program leverages the strength of Tri-anim’s trained sales force and their national contracts with leading hospital organizations such as Tenet, HSCA, and HealthSouth.”

The BiPAP Vision is a noninvasive pressure support ventilator that has user-friendly graphics capability for comprehensive patient monitoring. In international markets, the BiPAP Vision is serving as a platform for Proportional Assistr Ventilation (PAVr), which will also be incorporated into the BiPAP Vision in the United States when regulatory clearance for the mode is obtained. PAV provides improved ventilation performance by continuously adjusting for the patient’s changing ventilatory needs on a breath-by-breath basis.

Respironics also reported sales and net earnings for the third fiscal quarter and 9 months ended March 31, 1999. Net sales for the third quarter totaled $90.9 million compared with $80.1 million recorded in the third quarter a year ago–an increase of 13 percent. Net income was $8.3 million for the third quarter compared to $4.3 million a year ago, an increase of 91 percent. Diluted earnings per share were 26 cents, an increase of 100 percent from last year’s third quarter earnings of 13 cents per share.

MDE and Masimo Announce Agreement
Medical Data Electronics (MDE) and Masimo Corp, both of Irvine, Calif, have announced a licensing agreement to integrate Masimo Signal Extraction pulse oximetry technology into MDE’s primary pulse oximetry platform. The agreement targets MDE’s current and future patient monitors.

“We first became aware of Masimo about 2 years ago. It was obvious that they had significantly improved the performance of pulse oximetry and that it would be a great enhancement to our monitors,” says Drew Rogers, president of MDE. “After extensive due diligence and testing of the Masimo technology and after receiving numerous requests from our customers, we decided to commit to making it our standard pulse oxmetry platform.”

Masimo Signal Extraction pulse oximetry is clinically proven to be accurate during patient motion as well as conditions of low perfusion, bright ambient light, and electro-surgical interference.

“MDE has an excellent reputation in the market. Their Escort multiparameter monitor series is a leading product in the industry and their new color Prism multiparameter series promises to make them a player at the next level,” says Joe E. Kiani, president and CEO of Masimo Corp. “They also have one of the most technically competent management teams and sales forces that we have dealt with so far. We are delighted to have MDE as a partner.”

MDE focuses on the development of monitoring solutions; Masimo designs, develops, and licenses advanced medical signal processing and sensor technology for the noninvasive monitoring of vital physiological parameters.

Bear, Bird, and SensorMedics Combine Sales Teams
Bear Medical Systems and Bird Products Corp, Palm Springs, Calif, have combined their direct customer support resources with the Critical Care Division of SensorMedics, Yorba Linda, Calif.

This team of respiratory sales and clinical specialists provide support resources, responsiveness, and clinical expertise to respiratory care practitioners. All three companies are part of the Thermo Respiratory Group that merged nearly a year ago.

Other companies that are part of the Thermo Respiratory Group include Stackhouse Inc, Palm Springs, Calif, and BLD Medical Products, Dallas. Each company is highly reflective of customer needs and focused on product development and customer support. Together, Thermo Respiratory Group employs more than 700 people worldwide including 150 customer support, product support, and field service specialists. They provide a broad spectrum of products including ventilator systems and accessories, pulmonary and respiratory care monitoring and diagnostic systems, single-use respiratory care devices, and surgical filtration systems.

Thermo Respiratory Group includes a comprehensive coordinated service organization. Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For more information, call the corporate headquarters in Yorba Linda at (800) 520-4367 or (714) 283-1830,
in Palm Springs (800) 326-4139 or (760)
778-7200, or visit their Web site at www.thermoresp.com.

Radiometer Awarded Contracts
Radiometer America, Westlake, Ohio, has been awarded contracts from Health Services Corporation of America (HSCA), Cape Girardeau, Mo, and MHAoMedEcon, Louisville, Ky.

Radiometer has been chosen as a supplier of bench-top and near patient testing/point-of-care blood gas-based products to HSCA. The two contracts are in effect for the next 4 years with a 1-year renewal option. The company is also a supplier of blood gas systems and related supplies and accessories, blood collection products, and transcutaneous monitors to MHAoMedEcon for four years, with an option for a fifth year.

Radiometer previously had blood gas-based product contracts with HSCA, but this is Radiometer’s first point-of-care agreement. The new contract provides Radiometer with the opportunity to increase its market share in more areas of the hospital and in alternate care facilities while simultaneously marketing its new product line within existing hospital departments and integrated delivery networks.

The contract with MHAoMedEcon provides Radiometer with an opportunity to increase its market share in hospitals served by the MedEcon hospital base as well as entry into the MHA long-term care sites.

AstraZeneca Announces New Headquarters Site
AstraZeneca, Wayne, Pa, and Wilmington, Del, recently announced the site for its North American Operations headquarters.

The new headquarters will be located at the “Fairfax-plus” site in Wilmington. The site will allow AstraZeneca to take advantage of existing space at Zeneca’s Fairfax headquarters (Zeneca owns more than 1 million square feet of office space including research and development laboratories on an 88-acre property). The new headquarters will be completed in approximately 3 years.

“Our highest priority was to select a site that would be accessible for as many of our employees as possible,” said C.G. Johansson, president and CEO of AstraZeneca, North American Operations. “All of our employees–both Astra and Zeneca–are equally important to us, and it is their personal contributions which will make our new company an industry leader.”

Johansson also announced senior appointments to the company. For more information, visit the AstraZeneca Web site at www.AstraZeneca.com.

Respironics Offers Nebulizer Instruction Video
Respironics HealthScan Asthma & Allergy Products, Cedar Grove, NJ, offers a new nebulizer patient education video–Staying on Your Treatment Program with InspirationT. The video is available to home care customers for instructional use with the InspirationT (model number 626) nebulizer.

The 7-minute video features a child narrator speaking in “kid friendly” language. She guides viewers through a nebulizer treatment with the Inspiration and discusses proper care and cleaning of the unit. The narrator also advises young patients to use their nebulizer with adult supervision.

The Inspiration Kid’s Kit includes an instructional coloring book and colorful stickers designed to make the Inspiration friendlier for children while enhancing compliance. The Kid’s Kit is available through home care dealers that supply the Inspiration nebulizer.

The Inspiration 626 weighs less than 5 lb, can be stored in school bags or luggage, and can hold extra medicine or nebulizer supplies inside its storage compartment. Inspiration also features an attached power cord that stores in the rear of the unit, and a handle for easy portability.

Omron Names New President
Omron Healthcare, Vernon Hills, Ill, the nation’s leading supplier of home blood pressure monitors, has promoted Ed Siemens to the position of president.

Siemens–the former senior vice president of sales and marketing since 1996– has contributed to the company’s top market share in the US blood pressure monitor sector and its diversification into ear thermometers, body fat analyzers, and aerosol therapy products. As president, Siemens plans to expand the company’s emphasis on wellness and chronic disease management as well as professional medical products such as stethoscopes.

“Chronic disease issues are taking center stage in the medical arena because of the graying of the baby boom generation, and at the same time the advent of managed care has created a demand for strategies that can help control health care costs,” Siemens says. “These two factors are driving the marketplace toward products and services related to the management of chronic disease, and we plan to leverage our dominance in home blood pressure monitors with expanded products and services to become a major player in the diagnostic category.”

Before joining Omron, Siemens was vice president of sales at McKesson Home Health Care.

Thermo Respiratory Group Goes to Bat for New Promotion
Thermo Respiratory Group has announced a new baseball-themed promotion that celebrates its line of products, covering all bases for ventilator needs in the entire continuum of respiratory care.

The promotion consists of sending nearly 6,000 US medical facilities “baseball” cards that feature particular products from each company in the group. Included in various decks will be cards announcing winners of such prizes as baseball caps, jackets, T-shirts, and seat cushions. In addition, each winner will be entered into a drawing for a grand prize to be announced at a later date. Interested parties may also register online for the drawing by visiting Thermo Respiratory Group’s Web site at www.thermoresp.com. The drawing will be held this fall.

The Thermo Respiratory Group is made up of Bear Medical; Stackhouse Inc; Bird Products, all of Palm Springs, Calif; BLD Medical Products, Dallas; and SensorMedics Inc, Yorba Linda, Calif.

For more information, call (760) 778-7312.

Nova Biomedical Receives Award
Nova Biomedical, Waltham, Mass, has received a 1999 Medical Design Excellence Award for its Stat Profiler pHOx blood gas/oximeter. The award recognizes product innovation, design and engineering excellence, end-user benefit, and cost-effectiveness in manufacturing and health care delivery.

The Stat Profile pHOx is an in vitro diagnostic analyzer that measures critical blood chemistry in freshly drawn whole blood samples from patients with respiratory or bleeding problems. Not only does the pHOx perform the traditional tests done by this type of analyzer, but conducts three additional tests often required by patients with respiratory problems.

The Medical Design Excellence Awards are sponsored by Canon Communications LLC, Los Angeles; the Industrial Designers Society of America, Great Falls, Va, endorses and administers the program.

Pulmonetic Systems Receives Ventilator Clearance for Home Care
Pulmonetic Systems, Colton, Calif, has secured FDA 510(k) clearance to market its LTV series of mechanical ventilators for use in home care settings. The FDA’s approval comes on the heels of its October 1998 clearance for institutional and transport use.

LTV1000 is intended to provide continuous or intermittent breathing support to patients who require mechanical ventilation. It is a restricted medical device intended for use by qualified personnel under the direction of a physician. The ventilator can be used for adult patients as well as pediatric patients weighing 22 lb (10 kg), who require positive pressure ventilation via an endotracheal tube or a mask.

The LTV1000 weighs less than 13 lb, and is completely self-contained with its own internal battery source. The device does not require compressed air and contains a built-in blender to accommodate oxygen supplementation.