8-K

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                              Washington, DC 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 28, 2002

                                VITAL SIGNS, INC.

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             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

                                                          
             New Jersey                    0-18793              11-2279807

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(State or other jurisdiction of         (Commission            (IRS Employer
  incorporation or organization)        File Number)        Identification No.)

          20 Campus Road, Totowa, New Jersey                   07512
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      (Address of principal executive offices)               (Zip Code)





Registrant's telephone number, including area code:        (973) 790-1330









Item 5.  Other Events.

            On March 28, 2002, Vital Signs, Inc. (the "Company") consummated the
merger of Stelex, Inc. ("Stelex") into the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary,
The Validation Group, Inc. ("TVG"), with TVG continuing as the surviving entity.
The purchase price for the acquisition of Stelex was $13,300,000.

Item 7.  Financial Statements and Exhibits.

          Exhibit No. 99.1 Press Release, dated April 8, 2002.

                                   SIGNATURES

            Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

                              VITAL SIGNS, INC.

                              By:  /s/ Joseph Bourgart
                                   ---------------------------------------
                                       Joseph Bourgart
                                       Executive Vice President

Dated:  April 8, 2002


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                                  EXHIBIT INDEX


Exhibit No. 99.1  Press Release, dated April 8, 2002


















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                           STATEMENT OF DIFFERENCES

The section symbol shall be expressed as..............................'SS'

EX-99

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

              VITAL SIGNS, INC. ANNOUNCES MERGER OF ITS SUBSIDIARY
                     THE VALIDATION GROUP WITH STELEX, INC.

         TOTOWA, N.J., April 8, 2002 -- VITAL SIGNS, INC. (NASDAQ: VITL)
announced today the merger of its wholly-owned subsidiary, The Validation Group,
Inc., and Stelex, Inc., combining two of the premier firms in the pharmaceutical
regulatory compliance industry.

         Joe Bourgart, CFO and Executive Vice President Business Development,
Vital Signs, Inc., commented: "This merger will result in one of the most
innovative consulting enterprises in the FDA regulated arena. The new company,
operating as Stelex-The Validation Group, Inc., will offer a range of services
essentially unparalleled in the industry." The new company will be wholly-owned
by Vital Signs.

         "The merger is the next logical step for our companies," said Michael
Kavinson, President and CEO of Stelex. "Our services complement each others and
our operating principles are closely allied. There is virtually no overlap or
duplication of service resulting from this merger and we can offer our customers
a full range of regulatory consulting services. I fully expect that the new
venture will be a major force in regulatory compliance."

         "Our clients will benefit enormously from the pooled resources and
talent bases of the two companies," said Bill Stringer, President and CEO of the
combined entity. "Stelex's expertise with software and operating systems is an
ideal fit with The Validation Group's process and computer hardware-related
abilities. Overnight, our clients have access to one of the most creative
software compliance solutions providers and one of the most detail-minded
process compliance solutions providers in the industry".

         Stelex has been providing quality solutions to FDA-regulated industries
for more than 15 years, commanding a thorough understanding of federal
regulations and industry-accepted software development standards. With the
proven ability to assist corporations with auditing services of high quality,
system development, e-Enterprise solutions, system validation services and
training, Stelex is focused on providing timely, comprehensive solutions within







ever-changing technological and regulatory environments. Among its many
innovative solutions is ComplianceBuilder, the Turnkey Part 11 Compliance
Solution, which is designed for FDA-regulated environments to bring their
existing or legacy systems into 21 CFR 'SS' 11 compliance.

         The Validation Group, Inc. has extensive experience in regulatory
compliance services for equipment, facilities, utilities, automation, and
processes in the pharmaceutical (finished and bulk), biotechnology, medical
device and diagnostic, consumer and cosmetics and veterinary industries. The
Validation Group has executed more than 250 projects ranging in size from
qualification of a single piece of equipment to complete turnkey validations of
the equipment, utilities, facilities, systems, and processes of new facilities.

         The value of the Stelex transaction was approximately $13 million.

         Vital Signs, Inc. and its subsidiaries design, manufacture and market
single-use medical products for anesthesia and critical care, achieving the
number one market share position in nine of its major product categories. Vital
Signs is distinguished as one of a select number of medical device firms to have
received ISO 9001 certification and CE Mark for its products.

         All statements in this press release (including statements regarding
the anticipated performance of the combined business described in this press
release) other than historical statements constitute Forward Looking Statements
under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could
differ materially from such statements as a result of a variety of factors,
including unanticipated delays in bringing products to market, market
conditions, and competitive responses as well as other factors referred to by
Vital Signs in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30,
2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:            Terence D. Wall, President
                                                    or
                                    Joseph Bourgart, Chief Financial
                                    Officer
                                    (973) 790-1330
                                    http://www.vital-signs.com