Ohmeda proposed sale by BOC follows continued drop in anesthesia product sales.

OHMEDA HEALTH CARE BUSINESS PROPOSED SALE BY BOC reflects the difficulty facing the parent company in making the required investments to keep Ohmeda competitive in the anesthesia and critical care markets in which the $800 mil. company competes. BOC said it will focus its resources on higher priorities such as industrial gases, its primary business, and has instructed adviser J.P. Morgan to find a buyer for Ohmeda. BOC has not had any informal talks with potential suitors, the company said.