ATLANTA -- GE Medical Systems, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), announced today at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Annual Meeting that five 3rd party scientific studies have been published validating the dose reduction and image quality features of the Revolution™ all-digital, flat-panel detector on the Innova™ 2000 cath lab.
The flat-panel technology was introduced to the cath lab two years ago and, currently, there are more than 250 customer orders for the system and more than 150 systems in use daily.
“Besides the many independent studies that have been published supporting the clinical excellence of our technology, we hear daily of life threatening cases where the Innova 2000 has made the difference in saving lives,” said Ruben Berumen, Global General Manager for GE Medical Systems’ Surgery and Vascular Imaging business. “Physicians around the world have been the greatest ambassadors for our technology leadership, validating their clinical experiences with improved outcomes and efficiencies using the system.”
A life-saving case in point presented recently by a University hospital in Germany demonstrated the system’s ability to view hard-to-see cardiovascular devices. A piece of guidewire broke inside the patient during a cardiac catheterization. Although the fragment was visible by a conventional system it was not shown clearly enough, nor determined to be life threatening, until seen by the Innova 2000. Once detected, the guidewire later was removed from the aorta and the case was successful.
Studies and clinicians show the image quality of the Innova 2000 is also becoming a differentiator in complex cardiovascular therapies.
“The difference in overall image quality is so striking on the Innova 2000. It helps us make efficient diagnoses more quickly, our clinical confidence is enhanced, and furthermore, this new level of image quality helps us perform complex therapeutic studies like Brachytharapy,” said Dr. Mark Midei, MD, FACC, Midatlantic Cardiovascular Associates, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. “Due to the need for precise positioning of Brachytherapy delivery systems and the necessity to avoid geographic miss, the image quality of the Innova 2000 system becomes critical.“
In addition, a common concern among physicians and their patients is the amount of dose required to perform accurate diagnoses and interventions. GE’s Innova 2000 already has been shown to produce higher quality images at reduced X-ray exposure in numerous clinical studies.
In one recent study on dose, the GE Innova 2000 system enabled doctors to acquire diagnostic-quality images with significantly less radiation exposure – ranging from 27 percent to more than 50 percent less dose when compared with other X-ray systems.
“The Innova 2000 delivers significantly less dose to patients and users than a conventional image intensifier system,” said Dr. Marie-Claude Morice, author of the principal study and founder of the Cardiovascular Institute of South Paris, France. “At the same time, our results suggest a substantial improvement in image quality. The Innova 2000’s ability to reduce radiation exposure while increasing diagnostic information offers the potential to improve patient outcomes while making these procedures safer for everyone in the cardiac catheterization lab.”
GE’s Innova 2000, the first all-digital, flat-panel cath lab, will be the platform for innovative advanced applications, including various cardiology-related works-in-progress. It also provides ten times the dynamic range of conventional image intensifier systems by converting X-ray signals into digital images at the point of acquisition.
About GE Medical Systems
GE Medical Systems is an $8 billion global leader in medical imaging, interventional procedures, healthcare services, and information technology. Its offerings include networking and productivity tools, clinical information systems, patient monitoring systems, surgery and vascular imaging, conventional and digital X-ray, computed tomography, electron beam tomography, magnetic resonance, ultrasound and bone mineral densitometry, positron emission tomography, nuclear medicine, and a comprehensive portfolio of clinical and business services. For more than 100 years, health care providers worldwide have relied on GE Medical Systems for high quality medical technology and productivity solutions. For more information, visit the GE Medical Systems Web site at www.gemedical.com
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