Birtcher Medical Reports Quarterly Loss of $892,000 : Earnings: Industry sluggishness, competition and backlog of FDA applications are blamed. Results surprise analysts.

Birtcher Medical Systems Inc., pinched by industry sluggishness, fierce competition and a backlog in Food and Drug Administration applications, said it posted an $892,000 loss, equal to 10 cents per share, in its fiscal second quarter ended Dec. 31.

The Irvine-based company, which makes equipment for outpatient surgery procedures, warned of the red ink earlier this month, surprising analysts who had expected earnings of 8 cents per share. The results compare with a $2.1-million loss, or 22 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier.

Revenue fell 22% to $11 million, compared to $14.1 million in the same period a year earlier.

The company’s shares closed at $6, down 12.5 cents in trading Tuesday on the NASDAQ market. The stock has stabilized in recent weeks after a downward slide from a 52-week high of $20.50 last Jan. 31.

Birtcher has also been hurt by its December, 1991, buyout of Solos Endoscopy Inc. in Georgia, which makes video surgical devices. Analysts say that Solos products have not been well-received.

The company, however, said that sales of its electro-surgery products continued to be strong and picked up in international markets.

In the first half of its fiscal year, Birtcher has posted a profit of $1.1 million, or 12 cents per share, contrasted with a loss of $914,000, or 10 cents, in the same period a year earlier. Revenue fell 17% to $23.3 million, from $28.1 million.