Wow! Look at that 3100A (top picture at #77140) ... that's a real classic.
On the subject of defib analyzers:- let's not forget
GMC - a brand that is often overlooked.
Meanwhile, the Impulse 3000 reminds me how many of the early biomed test kit items looked very similar. For instance, the simple "T-bar" moulding to separate the paddles (which was a good idea, by the way - and one which was sadly lacking on many newer testers) was used on a few other defib testers (including the old Rigel, if I remember rightly).
Such similarity was (is) especially the case with Multiparameter (ECG) Simulators; Bio-Tek, Dale, DNI, Netech ... then Fluke and now BC Group ... often appeared like they originated from the same OEM (possibly some back-street shed somewhere). This is understandable, as we may imagine that some "manufacturers" may find it easier to buy-in (and re-badge) certain items in order to round-out their range of offerings.
Another example that comes to mind is what was the DNI Infutest 2000 infusion pump tester, which is now marketed in the corporate colours (blue) of Datrend.
NIBP testers and SpO2 testers (especially early ones) were also often either similar, or simply re-badged products from earlier (but sadly demised) OEM's.
I suppose it is inevitable that the Big Boys swallow up the
minnow, but it seems to me that products from those small, often innovative, companies usually lose their design
flair (for want of a better word) once they get absorbed into a bigger corporate body. Often their original identity is lost altogether. And, as we have already observed, successive versions generally become evermore complex - adding more and more features just because newer technology makes them a possibility (but not always gaining much in the way of practical utility).
