International health-technology giant Covidien has plans of acquiring Aspect Medical Systems Inc., the brain-monitoring device company for about $210 million, as per the recent reports released by both the companies.

Jefferies analyst Peter Bye said, "Aspect's (technology) is recognized as the market leader but did not have the marketing or distribution muscle which Covidien can provide".

Covidien which is a Dublin, Ireland-based medical device pharmaceutical maker has 3,000 employees in the St. Louis area and an operations base.

Norwood, Mass-based Aspect Medical will be taken over in an all-cash tender offer by Covidien with the dawn of 2010. Aspect will be merged into the medical devices segment of Covidien.

Aspect informed that its brain-monitoring system has been useful in assessing 29 million patients. This system is called, bispectral index technology and its primary use is to monitor brain activity in patients undergoing general anesthesia or sedation which is intense.

Several product lines have been sold off by Covedien recently and it is now concentrating mainly on higher-margin business, as per the officials.

Covidien Imaging Solutions and Pharmaceutical Products also known as Mallinckrodt Inc. in St. Louis is operated by Covidien.

Covidien had 41,000 employees in 2008 and revenue of almost $10 billion.