Data Critical and Mallinckrodt, Inc. Agreement to Develop-Virtual Wireless Telemedicine Networks for Hospitals Worldwide.

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 2, 1999--

-- Five-Year Agreement and Data Critical's Wireless Telemedicine

Technology to Enhance Patient Care Through a Suite of

Wireless Monitoring Products --

Data Critical Corp., a Wireless Telemedicine(TM) hardware and software company, today announced a five-year agreement with the Nellcor Oximetry Business of Mallinckrodt, Inc. (NYSE:MKG), the industry's leading provider of pulse oximetry monitoring devices, in which Data Critical will develop a suite of innovative wireless products that Mallinckrodt will distribute to health care providers worldwide.

The agreement will allow the Mallinckrodt brand to bring a new, cost-effective level of care to patients monitored by Nellcor brand discrete (non-networked) oximetry and multi-parameter monitors. The virtual Wireless Telemedicine(TM) environment provided by Data Critical's new product line will give hospitals the ability to more closely monitor patients' conditions, particularly in areas of low nurse-to-patient ratio. The first product to be developed is scheduled for release to the U.S. market in the fourth quarter of 1999.

Today, hospitals are looking to technology for solutions to maintain care standards while moving higher acuity patients to care areas with lower costs. Along with systems already developed by Data Critical, the StatView(TM) and IMPACT(TM) alarm notification systems, and the MobileView(TM) remote access system, this agreement will broaden the areas of the hospital in which Data Critical's Wireless Telemedicine can be applied.

"We are pleased to team with one of the world's premier health care companies in order to bring this new, innovative patient care system to market," says Jeff Brown, president and CEO of Data Critical. "Our alliance will set a new standard for health care and increase the means and environments in which patients can receive quality, timely attention."

"With managed care more quickly driving the patient out of the ICU, this strategic partnership allows caregivers to safely monitor patients in lower-cost areas of the hospital. Data Critical's technology will enable us to continue our deployment of innovative, life-saving healthcare products " says Doris Engibous, vice president of Mallinckrodt's Nellcor Oximetry Business. "We look forward to providing our customers with the many patient and provider benefits resulting from the implementation of this new product line."

Recent studies and medical literature demonstrate the rapid adoption of telemedicine in health care delivery. Data Critical's research and software development have made the corporation a forerunner in this industry by providing caregivers with multiple hardware platforms and wireless solutions to meet the increasing demands of modern patient care.

Mallinckrodt Inc., based in St. Louis, Missouri, has three healthcare product groups -- Imaging, Pharmaceuticals and Respiratory. The Respiratory Group offers a comprehensive product line that focuses on the needs of respiratory and anesthesiology patients. The company operates in more than 100 countries and had fiscal 1998 net sales of $2.4 billion. The Mallinckrodt web site address is www.mallinckrodt.com.

Data Critical Corp., based in Redmond, Wash., was founded in 1993 to bring Wireless Telemedicine(TM) and computing solutions to the health care industry. Data Critical manufactures and markets mission-critical personal information systems, including remote access systems and wireless systems that are facility-based. Visit Data Critical's web site at www.datacritical.com.