• Carlos Escobar has joined MedAptus (Boston), a provider of point-of-care technologies to the healthcare industry. Escobar will lead MedAptus' national sales force as well as a rapid expansion of the company's customer base. He joins the company from Certus, where he served as senior vice president.

• Thomas Frinzi has been promoted to CEO of ophthalmic device manufacturer Refractec (Irvine, California). He replaces Mitch Campbell, who has left the company to pursue other entrepreneurial ventures. Frinzi has held progressive executive positions at Refractec, including chief operating officer, for more than six years.

• Gerald Pohost, MD, will join Salick Cardiovascular Centers (Los Angeles) as senior vice president and chief medical officer. Pohost, who is currently chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, will assume the new position on a consulting basis effective immediately, and will join the company full-time on Dec. 1. Salick Cardiovascular Centers was formed to provide patients immediate and ongoing access to innovative, high-quality, cost-effective and comprehensive cardiovascular diagnostic and treatment services in a patient-friendly, primarily outpatient-based environment (Medical Device Daily, June 6, 2006).

• Judy Bosko has been named vice president of operations and information systems at Sysmex America (Mundelein, Illinois). Bosko joined Sysmex America in 2002. Prior to joining the company, she was director of client services for Mercantec. Sysmex America, the U.S. headquarters of Sysmex (Kobe, Japan), provides clinical laboratory systematization and solutions, including clinical diagnostics, automation and information systems.

• Uroplasty (Minnetonka, Minnesota) reported the addition of a fifth regional sales manager, Steve Bowers, to complete its U.S. sales management team. Bowers will serve as the south central regional sales manager. Uroplasty manufactures products for the treatment of voiding dysfunctions.

• Gregory Decker has been appointed CFO of Viking Systems (San Diego). Decker will be replacing Joseph Warrino, who will remain with the company in the newly established position of vice president and general manager, operations. Prior to joining Viking Systems, Decker spent the last five years as CFO of Sensoria. Viking Systems makes laparoscopic vision systems for use in minimally invasive surgical procedures.