B. Braun Medical announces agreement with HealthTrust to provide pain management products

B. Braun Medical Inc. (B. Braun) has announced an expanded agreement with HealthTrust Purchasing Group (HealthTrust) to provide pain management products to HealthTrust's membership. Under this agreement, HealthTrust's membership will gain the advanced safety and efficiency of B. Braun's industry-leading anesthesia products, including the company's Contiplex® Stim Stimulating Catheter, Espocan® Combined Spinal/Epidural Trays and Perifix® FX Closed Tip and Open Tip Springwound Epidural Catheters, among other products.

"We pride ourselves on delivering the best value to our customers, enabling them to improve patient outcomes," said Caroll H. Neubauer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of B. Braun Medical Inc. "Our advanced, quality products enhance safety and efficiency, while still remaining cost-effective. With access to B. Braun's broad range of anesthesia products, we are confident that HealthTrust's membership will benefit from this partnership."

B. Braun will provide its anesthesia products to HealthTrust effective November 1, 2009. This will allow HealthTrust members access to B. Braun's full line of first-class regional anesthesia trays - including the market leading Perifix® continuous and single-dose epidural trays. Perifix® continuous trays feature the atraumatic Perifix® FX springwound epidural catheters with open or closed tip.

In addition, B. Braun's Contiplex® Stim Stimulating Catheter - a catheter optimized for nerve stimulation and easily visible under ultrasound - will be available for HealthTrust member use. The Contiplex® Stim system is designed to help simplify catheter placement by removing as many procedural steps as possible that otherwise divert attention from the patient.

The agreement also includes B. Braun's Espocan® combined spinal epidural needles, which give the anesthesia provider the ability to perform Combined Spinal Epidural (CSE) with one of the most technically advanced CSE devices.