Sandmansleep.com Gets a Face Lift
In June, Nellcor Puritan Bennett (Melville) Ltd, Kanata, Ontario, Canada, launched its redesigned Web site. According to the company, the site, www.sandmansleep.com, now provides easier access to product and company information. In addition, customers can sign in to a “customers only” portion of the Web site to access a list of frequently asked questions, a product catalog, and direct emailing options to technical support, product application specialists, and/or sales administration.


 CareFore Receives Exporting Award
On June 5, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius recognized CareFore Medical Inc, Olathe, Kan, as one of four finalists for the 2003 Kansas Governor’s Exporter of the Year award.

Sebelius presented the finalist award to Sean Squire, executive vice president of operations, and Bob Mogue, executive vice president of sales and marketing, during an awards program held in Wichita, Kan. The award recognizes exceptional performance in developing export markets for the state of Kansas. CareFore develops, manufactures, and distributes respiratory accessories to the home health care and hospital market worldwide.


Perceptive Informatics To Sell LifeShirt
Boston-based Perceptive Infor-matics Inc, a subsidiary of Parexel International Corp, Waltham, Mass, will now market a noninvasive, continuous ambulatory monitoring system developed by VivoMetrics, Ventura, Calif.

Called the LifeShirt System, it can collect data on ventilation, ECG, posture, and physical activity as well as other physiological parameters and correlate them over time. It also includes a diary function to capture subjective patient experiences and validate them against objective measures.


ResMed Earns Two Top 100 Companies Rankings
Two major business publications recently applauded the growth success of ResMed Inc, San Diego. BusinessWeek rated the respiratory medical device manufacturer number 32 in its 100 Hot Growth Companies list for 2003, and Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) ranked the company number 89 in its latest Top 100 Companies in America.

“We are once again gratified by this recognition of ResMed’s continuing growth, which reflects a team commitment by all ResMed employees,” says Peter C. Farrell, PhD, CEO of ResMed.

The BusinessWeek listing is based on “3-year results in sales growth, earnings growth, and return on invested capital.” The IBD list is based on a “company’s recent earnings growth record; IBD’s ‘composite rating,’ which includes key measures, such as return on equity, sales growth, and profit margins; and relative price performance in the last 12 months.”


Masimo Receives Two Technology Awards
Summer started out with a bang for Irvine, Calif-based Masimo Corp, which was twice recognized for its achievements in the advanced medical signal processing technologies field.

Frost & Sullivan, a growth consulting company, presented the company with the first New Standard of Care in Patient Monitoring Award at the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation conference in Long Beach, Calif, on June 16. The accolade honors the company for “revolutionizing and reinvigorating the market” with its Signal Extraction Technology (SET®), a motion-tolerant and low-perfusion monitoring device.

“The rapid adoption of Masimo SET technology, by both hospitals and major patient monitoring equipment manufacturers, demonstrates the value that the market has placed on this significant technological advancement,” says Katherine Shariq, Frost & Sullivan industry analyst.

In addition to the patient monitoring award, Masimo CEO Joe Kiani received a platinum “ABBY” award from the Adaptive Business Leaders Organization (ABL).

The ABBY award recognizes Kiani’s “outstanding advancements in the field of health care in medical technology, biotechnology, and innovative technology-enhanced health care services.” It was presented to him at the ABL’s 5th Annual Innovations in Healthcare Awards and Event held June 18 at the Hyatt Regency in Irvine.


 MSNI Teams With Knowledge Plus
The Midwest Sleep and Neurodiagnostic Institute (MSNI) in Rockford, Ill, recently partnered with Knowledge Plus, Lincolnshire, Ill, to offer not only sleep education, but also EEG training.

MSNI offers sleep medicine training with specialized computer-based training software and hands-on workshops in small classes. Now, teamed with Knowledge Plus, an electroneurodiagnostic continuing education provider, MSNI can refer students to EEG, evoked potentials, and interoperative monitoring training courses. Likewise, Knowledge Plus will now refer its students to MSNI for sleep diagnostic continuing education courses.


SleepMed, WideMed Release Scoring Software
A new software platform for signal analysis and diagnosis of physiological sleep gives physicians the means to analyze signals in new ways, according to SleepMed Inc, Columbia, NC, and WideMed Ltd, Israel. The companies unveiled the new software, called Morpheus, at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies Meeting in Chicago in June.

“During the next 6 months, we will deploy Morpheus throughout SleepMed,” says Jerry Myers, SleepMed president and CEO. “Morpheus, which is server-based, can be accessed via the Internet with a standard browser. It puts sleep studies (the raw data) and scored information in electronic form, thereby making them available to reading physicians on an expedited basis. It will improve our services to referring and interpreting physicians, speed turnaround times, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. We expect to convert all paper to electronic media, including medical records with electronic signature capability. We plan to offer these same advantages to others, and by early 2004 we will introduce a Morpheus-based service for sale to labs throughout the United States.”

Morpheus is compatible with all existing PSG systems that export EDF files, according to the companies. It recently received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration.


Mediaid Acquires Monitoring Division
In June, Mediaid Inc, Torrance, Calif, was set up as a corporation through the acquisition of the monitoring division of Palco Labs, Santa Cruz, Calif.

The division produces handheld pulse oximeters for the medical market, including models with alarms and a new pocket-size version. Mediaid will use its distributors around the world to sell the products and says it plans on forming new partnerships with other companies in the medical supply field.


 FDA OKs Hans Rudolph Product
Hans Rudolph Inc, Kansas City, Mo, recently received FDA 510(k) clearance on its new VIP 7500 Series noninvasive ventilation oro-nasal full-face mask as a multipatient, multi-use, reusable face mask for two-limb noninvasive ventilation.

In addition, the company—as a designer and manufacturer—recently upgraded its “quality system” to ISO 9001:2000 by Intertek Testing Services (ITS). Hans Rudolph is also audited to EN46001:1996 and ISO 13485:1996 and has a CE mark on its product line.


 Respironics Stock Celebrates 15 Years
In May 1988, Respironics Inc’s revenues stood at $14 million and employment at 220. Fifteen years later, as the Murrysville, Pa-based company celebrated the anniversary of its initial public offering on NASDAQ on May 12, revenues and company size have risen exponentially. Respironics now brings in more than $600 million annually, employs 2,650 people, and operates 25 manufacturing and office locations around the world.

Respironics’ beginnings can be traced to founder Gerald McGinnis, who started the company 27 years ago. McGinnis often experimented with and created new devices in his home, including his first face cushion for use with anesthesia masks in 1968. Current President and CEO Jim Liken says those early values are a continuing legacy today.

“Those values—innovation and dedication—are truly embraced by senior management and our associates worldwide and are instrumental in catapulting the company to record growth over the past three and a half years,” Liken says. “It’s gratifying to be at the helm of this great company during a time of unprecedented growth.”