Covidien operating income was $615m, versus $545m in the same period the year before.

Medical Devices sales of $1.88bn in the second quarter were 16% above the $1.62bn in the comparable quarter of last year, with growth paced by acquisitions, new products and increased volume.

Second-quarter sales in Endomechanical were above those of the prior year, driven by a double-digit gain for stapling products.

In Soft Tissue Repair, sales climbed from those of a year ago, fueled by an increase for sutures and partially offset by a decline for biosurgery.

In the Oximetry & Monitoring product line, sales of both sensors and monitors were well above those of a year ago, aided by the Somanetics acquisition.

In Airway & Ventilation, sales fell well below those of the year before, chiefly due to difficult comparisons with last year’s flu-related volume, coupled with the divestiture of the sleep therapy product line.

Vascular sales more than doubled, reflecting the addition of ev3 products and, to a lesser extent, double-digit growth for compression and venous insufficiency products.

Medical Supplies second-quarter sales of $434m were 3% above the $421m reported in the comparable quarter of the previous year, principally due to higher sales of Medical Surgical and Nursing Care products.

Chairman, president and CEO Richard Meelia said the double-digit top line gain was again fueled by their largest business segment, Medical Devices, which recorded another excellent quarter paced by energy and vascular products.

"New entries such as the LigaSure 5 laparoscopic instrument and Tri-Staple products are generating significant advances in the marketplace, and we expect similarly positive results for the recently launched LigaSure small jaw instrument, fentanyl patch and Pipeline Embolization Device," Meelia said.

"These and other new products will likely be key contributors to our future growth in a global marketplace that has become increasingly competitive. We also plan to drive growth this year through incremental investments in our business that are funded by our continued strong cash flow."