Diatek ear thermometer to hospitals, alternate sites - Model 7000

Health Industry Today, June, 1991

Diatek Corp., San Diego, received 510 (k) approval for its Model 7000 infrared thermometer, which will be distributed by Baxter Healthcare Corp's Hospital Supply Division, Deerfield, Ill., in the United States and Canada.

Distribution to international markets and non-hospital based healthcare providers will take place through a series of strategic alliances and that will be announced later in the year, according to the company.

The markets for the Model 7000 are acute care hospitals and alternate sites, including surgicenters, nursing homes, physician practices, blood banks, cancer centers and burn centers. Alternate site and primary physician care markets are the big growth areas, according to Karl Sears, vice president of sales and marketing.

The Model 7000 is a portable, one-piece, battery-operated unit that comes with a locking wall mount. It was designed in conjunction with Jet Propulsion Labs, which is part of National Aeronautics & Space Administration. NASA nominated the product for its Hall of Fame award for this year. The Model 7000 gives a core readings as well as oral and rectal equivalents.

The thermometer provides a reading by sensing infrared radiation emitted from the eardrum. It delivers temperature readings in either Celsius or Fahrenheit in less than two seconds, according to the company. It comes with disposable probe covers.

Diatek holds 45% of the market for electronic thermometry, according to the company. It also develops systems for information management in anesthesiology and brain monitoring.

The Untied Stats market for electronic and infrared thermometers is estimated at between $45 and $55 million for acute care hospitals and $126 million worldwide, Diatek said. It is predicted that 60% of the world's clinical thermometers will utilize infrared sensors by 1997, according to the company.

Diatek distributes its temperature-taking systems through Baxter and Voluntary Hospitals of America, Irving, Texas, to the acute care hospital market.

The average selling price for the Model 7000, plus disposables, is estimated at $550. (For more information on Diatek's Model 7000 and other infrared thermometers, see Health Industry Today, January 1991, page 9.)