Document:

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                                                                   EXHIBIT 10(a)

September 20, 2001

Mr. William J. Lacourciere
577 Jarvis Street
Cheshire, CT  06410

Dear Bill:

Reference is made to the Employment Agreement, as amended to date, between you
and the Company (the "Agreement").

In the event of a Change of Control of the Company (as that term is defined in
the Agreement), within the next year (a "Transaction"), the Company will pay you
a one-time bonus equal to 125% of your annual base salary (the "Success Bonus.")
The Success Bonus will be paid in consideration of your continued employment
through the date of the closing of the Transaction and the extraordinary
services that you will be asked to provide the Company prior to that date. (The
Success Bonus will also be paid if your employment is terminated by the Company
within three months prior to the Transaction for any reason other than Cause, as
that term is defined in the Agreement.) The Success Bonus will be payable in
cash on the date of the closing of the Transaction and will not change your
rights and obligations under the Agreement or any other agreement you may have
with the Company regarding compensation or severance. This letter supersedes any
prior letter or other document between you and the Company relating to the
Success Bonus.

We appreciate your continued and loyal service to the business.

Sincerely,

Thomas M. Patton
President and COO

ACCEPTED:

/s/ William J. Lacourciere
---------------------------
William J. Lacourciere

                                 Page 16 of 50<PAGE>

                                                                   EXHIBIT 10(b)

September 20, 2001

Mr. Thomas M. Patton
25 Andy Lane
Guilford, CT  06437

Dear Tom:

Reference is made to the Employment Agreement, as amended to date, between you
and the Company (the "Agreement").

In the event of a Change of Control of the Company (as that term is defined in
the Agreement), within the next year (a "Transaction"), the Company will pay you
a one-time bonus equal to 100% of your annual base salary (the "Success Bonus.")
The Success Bonus will be paid in consideration of your continued employment
through the date of the closing of the Transaction and the extraordinary
services that you will be asked to provide the Company prior to that date. (The
Success Bonus will also be paid if your employment is terminated by the Company
within three months prior to the Transaction for any reason other than Cause, as
that term is defined in the Agreement.) The Success Bonus will be payable in
cash on the date of the closing of the Transaction and will not change your
rights and obligations under the Agreement or any other agreement you may have
with the Company regarding compensation or severance. This letter supersedes any
prior letter or other document between you and the Company relating to the
Success Bonus.

We appreciate your continued and loyal service to the business.

Sincerely,

William J. Lacourciere
Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer

ACCEPTED:

/s/ Thomas M. Patton
---------------------------
Thomas M. Patton

                                 Page 17 of 50<PAGE>

                                                                   EXHIBIT 10(c)

September 20, 2001

Mr. Jeffery A. Baird
764 North Greenbrier Drive
Orange, CT  06477

Dear Jeff:

Reference is made to the Employment Agreement, as amended to date, between you
and the Company (the "Agreement").

In the event of a Change of Control of the Company (as that term is defined in
the Agreement), within the next year (a "Transaction"), the Company will pay you
a one-time bonus equal to $44,000 (the "Success Bonus.") The Success Bonus will
be paid in consideration of your continued employment through the date of the
closing of the Transaction and the extraordinary services that you will be asked
to provide the Company prior to that date. (The Success Bonus will also be paid
if your employment is terminated by the Company within three months prior to the
Transaction for any reason other than Cause, as that term is defined in the
Agreement.) The Success Bonus will be payable in cash on the date of the closing
of the Transaction and will not change your rights and obligations under the
Agreement or any other agreement you may have with the Company regarding
compensation or severance. This letter supersedes any prior letter or other
document between you and the Company relating to the Success Bonus.

We appreciate your continued and loyal service to the business.

Sincerely,

Thomas M. Patton
President and COO

ACCEPTED:

/s/ Jeffery A. Baird
---------------------------
Jeffery A. Baird

                                 Page 18 of 50<PAGE>

                                                                   EXHIBIT 10(d)

September 20, 2001

Mr. Philip F. Nuzzo
716 Paddock Avenue
Meriden, CT  06450

Dear Phil:

Reference is made to the Employment Agreement, as amended to date, between you
and the Company (the "Agreement").

In the event of a Change of Control of the Company (as that term is defined in
the Agreement), within the next year (a "Transaction"), the Company will pay you
a one-time bonus equal to $55,000 (the "Success Bonus.") The Success Bonus will
be paid in consideration of your continued employment through the date of the
closing of the Transaction and the extraordinary services that you will be asked
to provide the Company prior to that date. (The Success Bonus will also be paid
if your employment is terminated by the Company within three months prior to the
Transaction for any reason other than Cause, as that term is defined in the
Agreement.) The Success Bonus will be payable in cash on the date of the closing
of the Transaction and will not change your rights and obligations under the
Agreement or any other agreement you may have with the Company regarding
compensation or severance. This letter supersedes any prior letter or other
document between you and the Company relating to the Success Bonus.

We appreciate your continued and loyal service to the business.

Sincerely,

Thomas M. Patton
President and COO

ACCEPTED:

/s/ Philip F. Nuzzo
---------------------------
Philip F. Nuzzo

                                 Page 19 of 50<PAGE>

                                                                   EXHIBIT 10(e)

September 20, 2001

Mr. Joseph A. Vincent
25 Sheffield Circle
Stratford, CT  06614

Dear Joe:

Reference is made to the Employment Agreement, as amended to date, between you
and the Company (the "Agreement").

In the event of a Change of Control of the Company (as that term is defined in
the Agreement), within the next year (a "Transaction"), the Company will pay you
a one-time bonus equal to 50% of your annual base salary (the "Success Bonus.")
The Success Bonus will be paid in consideration of your continued employment
through the date of the closing of the Transaction and the extraordinary
services that you will be asked to provide the Company prior to that date. (The
Success Bonus will also be paid if your employment is terminated by the Company
within three months prior to the Transaction for any reason other than Cause, as
that term is defined in the Agreement.) The Success Bonus will be payable in
cash on the date of the closing of the Transaction and will not change your
rights and obligations under the Agreement or any other agreement you may have
with the Company regarding compensation or severance. This letter supersedes any
prior letter or other document between you and the Company relating to the
Success Bonus.

We appreciate your continued and loyal service to the business.

Sincerely,

Thomas M. Patton
President and COO

ACCEPTED:

/s/ Joseph A. Vincent
---------------------------
Joseph A. Vincent

                                 Page 20 of 50<PAGE>

                                                                   EXHIBIT 10(f)

                         NOVAMETRIX MEDICAL SYSTEMS INC.
                               5 Technology Drive

                              Wallingford, CT 06492

                                                     December 14, 2001

Thomas M. Patton
25 Andy Lane
Guilford, CT 06437

Dear Tom:

                  Reference is made to the Employment Agreement (the "Employment
Agreement") dated May 22, 2000 by and between you and Novametrix Medical Systems
Inc. (the "Company"), the Stock Option Agreement (the "Stock Option Agreement")
dated as of May 22, 2000 by and between you and the Company and to the Letter
Agreement dated September 20, 2001 between you and the Company (the "Letter
Agreement") concerning the Success Bonus (as such term is defined in the Letter
Agreement) payable to you in the event of a change of control transaction.

                  In order to induce Respironics Holdings, Inc., a Delaware
corporation ("Holdings"), and the Company to enter into an Agreement and Plan of
Merger pursuant to which Holdings will merge with and into the Company (the
"Merger"), and in further consideration of the Success Bonus to be paid to you
pursuant to the Letter Agreement upon the closing of the Merger and severance
payments to be paid to you pursuant to Section 10(d)(ii) of the Employment
Agreement, you and the Company have agreed as follows:

                  1. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Employment
Agreement, for a period of one year following any termination by you or the
Company of your employment with the Company within three months after the
closing of the Merger, you shall not (whether as employee, agent, servant,
owner, partner, consultant, independent contractor, representative, stockholder
or in any other capacity whatsoever) knowingly perform material services for, or
knowingly have any material involvement with, any person or entity (including a
separate division of an entity) that competes directly and materially with any
business (a "Material Business") which accounted for more than 10% of the
revenues of the Company during the fiscal year prior to such termination;
provided, however, that you may in any event (i) perform services that do not
directly relate to business activities that compete directly and materially with
a Material Business, and (ii) own up to 3% of the outstanding securities of any
publicly-traded entity; and further provided that an entity (including a
separate division of an entity) shall be deemed to be in direct and material
competition with a Material Business only if the entity (or such division)
derived more than 10% of its revenues during its most recent fiscal year from
substantially similar businesses.

                                 Page 21 of 50

<PAGE>

                  2. You and the Company agree that 50% of the Success Bonus and
50% of the severance payments to be paid under Section 10(d)(ii) of the
Employment Agreement shall be allocated to the covenant not to compete described
above.

                  3. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Employment
Agreement or the Stock Option Agreement, to the extent vested immediately after
the Merger, your stock options shall continue to be exercisable by you, or in
the event of your death, by your estate, for the following periods:

                           (a)      Options for 60,000 shares that are fully
                                    vested as of the date hereof shall remain
                                    exercisable for the full term of the
                                    options;

                           (b)      Options for 60,000 shares shall remain
                                    exercisable for three (3) years after the
                                    closing of the Merger;

                           (c)      Options for 180,000 shares shall remain
                                    exercisable for ninety (90) days after the
                                    closing of the Merger; and

                           (d)      Options for 75,000 shares referred to in
                                    Section 3.1(c) of the Stock Option Agreement
                                    shall remain exercisable for ninety (90)
                                    days after the closing of the Merger.

                  4. The Employment Agreement, the Stock Option Agreement and
the Letter Agreement remain in full force and effect except as modified by this
Agreement.

                                      * * *

                                 Page 22 of 50

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                  Please indicate your agreement with the foregoing by signing
the enclosed copy of this letter, whereupon this will constitute a binding
agreement between you and the Company.

                                                 Very truly yours,

                                                 NOVAMETRIX MEDICAL SYSTEMS INC.

                                                 By:  /s/ William J. Lacourciere
                                                      --------------------------

Accepted and Agreed:

By:  /s/ Thomas M. Patton
     -------------------------
         Thomas M. Patton

                                 Page 23 of 50

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