OxiMax Sales Top 10,000 in 6 Months
Sales of the Nellcor® OxiMaxTM Pulse Oximetry System from Nellcor, part of Tyco Healthcare, Pleasanton, Calif, have surpassed 10,000 units in its first 6 months on the market, making it the most successful product launch in the company’s history. Max-Fast™, the forehead sensor that accompanies the OxiMax system, also received some praise when a study presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists 2002 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla, demonstrated that the forehead is the optimal pulse oximetry sensor site during conditions of low perfusion. In other company news, Nellcor Puritan Bennett was named among the recipients of the American Association for Respiratory Care 2002 Zenith Award for the 13th time. www.nellcor.com.


Focus Conference Heads to Nashville
Focus Journal’s third annual FOCUS on Respiratory Care & Sleep Medicine conference for sleep technologists, therapists, nurses, and physicians will be held April 10-12, 2003, at the Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tenn. Registration is $225 and will include 42 lectures from speakers such as William Dement, MD, PhD, Meir Kryger, MD, William Orr, MD, Mary Carskadon, PhD, Sharon Keenan, PhD, Gary Greenburg, DDS, and Nick MacMillan, RPSGT, RRT.

Three meals, a night at the Grand Ole Opry, access to the exhibit hall with 150 exhibitors, door prizes, happy hours, caricature artists, live music, stilt walkers, and impersonators are included in the registration fee, and the conference’s opening reception will offer free food, beer, and wine. Naomi Judd will deliver the keynote address. Rooms at the Opryland Hotel are $120 per night, and 15 continuing education units are available for each discipline. www.foocus.com.


 Respironics Positioned for Future Growth
Respironics Inc, Murrysville, Pa, now offers a true single source for invasive and noninvasive cardiorespiratory diagnostic and therapeutic resources. With the acquisition of Novametrix Medical Systems Inc, Respironics’ Hospital Division now covers the continuum of care.

In other company news, James W. Liken, president and CEO of Respironics, has created an Office of the Presidency, which will also include Craig Reynolds, chief operating officer, and John Miclot as chief strategic officer. www.respironics.com.


ResMed Receives AARC Zenith Award
The American Association for Respiratory Care awarded its Zenith Award to ResMed Inc, Poway, Calif, on October 5 at its 48th International Respiratory Congress in Tampa, Fla. The award goes to five companies out of more than 400 and recognizes manufacturers or service organizations based on quality of equipment and/or supplies, accessibility and helpfulness of sales personnel, responsiveness, service record, truth in advertising, and support of the respiratory profession. www.resmed.com.

SourceCF to Represent PARI
PARI Respiratory Equipment Inc, Monterey, Calif, has entered into a cooperative agreement with SourceCF. Under the terms, SourceCF—a company focused solely on cystic fibrosis (CF)—will represent PARI to the CF community. The agreement focuses on better service to caregivers and patients, and PARI will receive information for future product development. www.pari.com.

Siemens Installs 800 Ventilatory Platforms in 6 Months
Siemens AG, Munich, has placed more than 800 Servoi® systems in more than 150 facilities from March to September 2002. The Servoi is a universal ventilatory platform that can treat a complete range of patient categories. Siemens has also added features to the Servoi, including the Bi-Vent mode and the CO2 Analyzer. www.usa.siemens.com.

Praxair Partners with Novation
Praxair Healthcare Services, Danbury, Conn, has entered into a multi-year agreement with Novation, Irving, Tex, a supply chain management company. Praxair will supply bulk and cylinder Medipure™ medical gases, accessories, supplies, and service to Novation’s VHA and University HealthSystem Consortium hospitals. www.praxair.com/healthcare.

FDA Clears IL’s Quality Control System
Instrumentation Laboratory, Lexington, Mass, announces US Food and Drug Administration clearance of its Intelligent Quality Management (iQM™) system. iQM is an automated quality assurance system for use with the GEM Premier 3000 critical care analyzer. www.ilus.com.