|
LAS VEGAS -- GE Healthcare is introducing Vivid i, a miniaturized cardiovascular ultrasound system to provide high-performance, full-featured imaging in a lightweight design. The Vivid i system is a result of integrating more than 20 years of expertise in ultrasound and cutting-edge computing technologies, as well as new patented technology developed by GE researchers.
According to Omar Ishrak, president and CEO of GE Healthcare’s Ultrasound unit, this new system will establish a completely new standard of efficiency and performance. “The mobility of Vivid i will allow physicians to deliver care to the patient wherever it’s needed. The freedom laptops and PDAs have brought to business will now be available to healthcare.”
Bringing Advanced Echocardiography to the OR
Vivid i will enhance the efficiency and reach of physicians by offering the functionality and high performance of full-featured, larger-scale systems – but in a portable and wireless design that weighs 30 times less. The system makes it possible for patients to receive exams anywhere, including the operating room where space is limited.
Vivid i’s full clinical utility and compact design make it ideal for urgent care areas including the emergency room, critical care and the OR, and for mobile imaging services and outpatient clinics looking to expand their cardiovascular services. In the OR, Vivid i can help improve surgical performance, efficiency and quality of patient care by giving clinicians full diagnostic and monitoring capabilities throughout the operative cycle.
“Vivid i is a powerful new tool for both intraoperative monitoring and patient management in the ICU,” said Jan Poelaert, MD, Ph D, Department of ICU at Ghent University Hospital. “The system provides a broad range of echo and Doppler applications for on-line diagnosis and hemodynamic monitoring. The system’s compact size permits us to easily acquire echo information in the operating room or ICU, where space always is premium.”
In addition, Vivid i features wireless capabilities, enabling physicians to transfer files instantly from the system in the OR to other physicians for consultation. As a result, physicians will be able to more quickly assess and treat their surgery patients.
According to Joe Hogan, president and CEO of GE Healthcare Technologies, the increasing miniaturization of ultrasound technology allows physicians to treat patients in the most effective manner possible.
“Vivid i addresses one of the biggest challenges physicians face in caring for their patients – access to complete, real-time information,” said Hogan. “As GE Healthcare continues to improve on the portability and convenience of ultrasound technology, I believe it will become the visual stethoscope of the future.”
Vivid i: Breakthrough Technology
GE’s engineers developed Vivid i by miniaturizing the components of a premium echocardiography system weighing more than 400 pounds (180 kilograms), to provide a portable system weighing only 10 pounds (less than five kilograms).
Within GE Healthcare, Vivid i is considered an “Imagination Breakthrough” product — a major new invention with significant clinical and productivity value for clinicians and patients. Vivid i leverages GE’s research and development investment in the areas of software-based ultrasound platforms and hardware miniaturization in a new, patented design.
“This innovative product, which represents a major milestone in healthcare, is the result of GE’s commitment to developing new technologies and our significant investment in R&D,” Hogan said. “Vivid i is a remarkable example of how GE is pioneering technologies that will change the way healthcare is delivered to patients.”
GE received 510k clearances from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and CE Marking certification for Vivid i in 2004. The system will be commercially available in fall 2004.
About GE Healthcare’s Ultrasound Systems and Services
GE Healthcare is the world’s leading provider of ultrasound solutions designed to address the clinical and productivity needs of general imaging, obstetrics, gynecology, cardiovascular and specialty care areas. GE’s broad portfolio of proven ultrasound systems is used worldwide to perform approximately 30 million patient exams annually.
|
