Birtcher Medical Announces Lower Profits : Earnings: The Irvine-based company attributes the 10% dip to slow sales and costs of a 1991 acquisition.

Birtcher Medical Systems Inc., a surgical equipment manufacturer, said its profit dropped 10% for the year ended June 30 because of slow sales and problems related to the acquisition of an Atlanta company.

The lower earnings came as the company said it had record revenue--$52.5 million--for the fiscal year. The earnings figures released Tuesday were unaudited. An audited financial report will not be issued until September, a company spokeswoman said.

Chief Executive William E. Maya said in a prepared statement that restructuring of the company’s sales and distribution networks after the December, 1991, acquisition of Solos Endoscopy was “much more difficult and time consuming than we anticipated.”

He said that “significant sales declines and increased costs,” particularly in “international markets,” contributed to the lower earnings.

Maya was not available for further comment.

Year-end earnings were $3.8 million, equal to 40 cents a share, compared to earnings of $4.2 million, or 54 cents a share, for the previous fiscal year, the company reported. These figures do not include an extraordinary charge of $4.6 million, incurred as a result of the Solos takeover.

Company officials did not explain how factoring in the extraordinary charge would affect year-end earnings.

Solos manufactures surgical equipment as well as camera and lighting equipment.

The statement released combined revenue for fiscal 1992, but did not compare it to Birtcher’s 1991 revenue. The total fiscal 1991 revenue for Birtcher and Solos, which were separate companies at the time, was $50.2 million, the company reported.

Birtcher, traded on the NASDAQ Market, closed down 38 cents Tuesday to $6.75.