TOTOWA, N.J., Feb. 1, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Vital Signs, Inc. (Nasdaq:VITL) today announced the award of a three-year supply agreement with HealthTrust Purchasing Group, LP (HealthTrust). The agreement is effective for the period January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2011 and covers anesthesia breathing systems, face masks, gas sampling lines, bacterial/viral filters, hygroscopic condensor humidifiers and stylettes.
Terry Wall, CEO of Vital Signs commented, "Our agreement provides the first opportunity for Vital Signs and HealthTrust to partner in this important product area. Our patented breathing system, LIMB-O(tm), when combined with our latex free breathing bags, will provide HealthTrust members the option of selecting our most advanced product to address clinical efficacy and safety for both the patient and clinician."
Vital Signs, Inc. and its subsidiaries design, manufacture and market primarily single-use medical products for the anesthesia, respiratory/critical care, interventional cardiology/radiology and sleep/ventilation markets, achieving the number one market share position in five of its major product categories. Vital Signs is ISO 9001 certified and has CE Mark approval for its products. In 2006 Forbes Magazine named Vital Signs as "one of the 200 Best Small Companies in America" based on financial criteria.
Healthtrust Purchasing Group, LP, headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, is a group purchasing organization that supports not-for-profit and for-profit acute care hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, physician practices, as well as alternate care sites. With an annual purchasing volume by its members of more than $13 billion, HealthTrust is committed to obtaining the best price for clinically-recommended products, ensuring their timely delivery and continuously evaluating and improving its services to the patients, physicians and clinicians it serves. HealthTrust is located at 155 Franklin Road, Suite 400, Brentwood, TN 37027 Website: www.healthtrustpg.com.
All statements in this press release (including statements regarding potential new sales opportunities) other than historical statements constitute Forward Looking Statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ materially from such statements as a result of a variety of factors, including difficulties in gaining additional market share through the HealthTrust agreement, the reaction of competitors and the risk factors referred to by Vital Signs in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30th, 2007.
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