Back when Bovie Medical Corporation was still called Aaron Medical, we dreamed up a numbering system that made perfect sense to us. We affectionately referred to it as the "Einstein numbering system." As if Albert Einstein would dream up such a system.
Our first product ever, were disposable penlights which were packaged six per pack. Three sixes would be biblically wrong, so we called it #6666. It stands today in our product line, some 34 years later, as our six pack of disposable penlights. We moved onto larger ophthalmic lights and started with the number six, second number was eight (possibly because it was about 8” long) and then 00, 01, 02, 03 and 04.
Next came cauteries, and we decided that even numbers would be low temperature and odd numbers high. We started with AA for Aaron and 00 was low temperature ophthalmic and then 01 was high temperature fine tip. We manufacture more battery operated cauteries than anyone in the world, and have more than 15 catalog numbers which are mainly made up of one time use sterile disposables. We do also manufacture a low temperature and high temperature replaceable battery and replaceable tip cautery we call Change-A-Tip. We sell replacement disposable tips pre-packaged sterile, which makes it more environmentally friendly and saves money per use.
In the early 90’s our main competitor cut off their distributors, who naturally approached us to see if we could help. They gave us a list of products and we went to work. Thankfully that was a long time ago, because today the paperwork to get these products to market, not to mention money for testing, would have made it impossible. But that was then, and a new more rudimentary numbering system began…0001 was the first product and I will bet you can guess what the next 12 might be.
Shortly after this, we got into electrosurgery for the first time. A friend approached me and was struggling with her manufacturing company that made stainless steel electrodes. She had lost a big customer and was worried. I said that I didn't know much about electrodes, but she could give me a list of what she thought we should carry. The Einstein system kicked back in and our new numbering began with a blade electrode at ES01, ES for electrosurgery and 01 for the first electrode. We started with 13 and are now in the sixties headed for more. We also added a coated electrode process with PTFE and in the case of a blade electrode we decided to add a T to the end of any electrode, so ES01 became ES01T. The exact same electrode except with a PTFE coating made it easier for our sales force and for our manufacturing team.
Next step for the company was a big one, and that was into the actual electrosurgical units that power these electrodes. The first unit we made was with the help of John Bottjer who brought us the original idea of a high frequency desiccator to compete with the Birtcher product that had been acquired by Conmed Corporation. Their unit at the time was the 796, and since we designed a better product we needed a larger number. We welcomed into the world the Aaron 800, and life was good. Shortly after that we acquired Bovie® from Maxxim and have added a host of generators over the years. Some of them are the Aaron 1250 which meant 120 watts of cut, the 2250 for 200 watts and naturally the 3250 for 300 watts. We actually make a 400 watt unit for some specific international markets under the Bovie label which follows a slightly different format, but you can bet that 400 is in the equation.
Granted this may not be the equivalent of the theory of relativity, but at least I understand this theory.
Feel free to comment below, or reach out if you have any additional questions!
J. Robert Saron
President, Bovie Medical Corporation
