Although General Electric reported $36.6 billion in revenue for the 2010 first quarter, reflecting a  5 percent decrease from a year ago, GE Healthcare saw a 5 percent increase in revenue.

In a performance that the parent company GE's Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt called “good,” GE Healthcare reported $3.73 billion in the 2010 first quarter revenues, compared with $3.55 billion for the same quarter a year ago. The company said the healthcare segment profits were $497 million, a 21 percent increase.

Specifically, GE Healthcare saw a 6 percent increase in equipment sales and a 4 percent increase in service sales. The healthcare segment said it saw “continued strength in Asia” and an improvement in “developed markets.”