Also. . .

* Santa Rosa-based Arterial Vascular Engineering Inc., which makes surgical stents and balloon systems to unclog arteries, signed a contract to supply the equipment to Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp., the nation’s biggest hospital chain. The agreement, which doesn’t bind Columbia’s 300-plus hospitals to a single source for stents, runs for 18 months. Columbia, which has a similar agreement with Johnson & Johnson’s Cordis Corp., expects to spend between $70 million and $80 million annually on stents. Arterial shares rose $1.25 to close at $32.75 on Nasdaq.

* San Diego-based Alaris Medical Inc., a medical instrument maker with 1997 sales of $359 million, said it plans to buy closely held Hillsboro, Ore.-based Instromedix Inc. for $55 million in cash to add its telemedicine and heart-monitoring equipment to the Alaris product line.