Covidien and GE Healthcare form technology alliance

Covidien and GE Healthcare have announced a new technology collaboration that will combine products from both companies.

The five-year agreement will see Covidien incorporate its measurement technologies – including Nellcor pulse oximetry with OxiMax Technology and BIS Brain Technology – into GE Healthcare patient monitors.

It reflects GE Healthcare's commitment to maintaining an open monitoring architecture, allowing various streams of patient data to be brought together for clinical use.

For example, GE Healthcare devices such as the Carescape Monitor B850 and Carescape Monitor B650 will now offer access to Covidien measurements and bi-directional information flows between the monitor and hospital information systems.

Robert White, president of Covidien Respiratory and Monitoring Solutions, said: "The advanced parameter portfolio from Covidien, coupled with GE Healthcare's patient monitors, supports clinicians in detecting subtle but critical variations in a patient's status."

Last week, Covidien reported its results for the most recent fiscal quarter, delivering year-on-year sales growth of five percent.