New Software From GE Lets Physicians Acquire and Review Patients' Heart and Lung Data on a Personal Computer
Cost-effective solution puts resting ECG, stress testing, ambulatory blood pressure and spirometry information in one place for quick, confident diagnosis
ORLANDO, Fla. – Physicians now can easily record and review cardiovascular, blood pressure and respiratory test results on their desktop PCs or laptop computers, allowing for quick and accurate diagnosis for patients and more efficient record keeping in the doctor’s office.
The new technology, called CardioSoft from GE Medical Systems Information Technologies, is the first software-only product released in the United States that manages resting ECG, stress testing, blood pressure and respiratory data on a PC or laptop.
The system, which was first introduced in Germany, is being unveiled to the U.S. market at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Fla. The advanced technology feeds patient information to the computer from measurement devices through serial or USB ports. The physician can then analyze the information, share it with other clinicians over networks and store it for future use.
“CardioSoft gives physicians the convenience of having data from common cardiovascular studies easily available and all in one place," said Mike Genau, vice president of Cardiology Systems for GE Medical Systems Information Technologies. "It is a highly cost-effective tool that uses powerful analysis programs. Users can make queries, choose report formats, analyze information, and make data-driven decisions to give patients quality care."
Doctors can use CardioSoft as a local database in an office environment to store patient records, data, test results and reports. By way of networking, other PCs can be set up as review stations to allow analysis and editing of data when and where needed. The data can also be exported directly to the MUSE cardiology information system to reduce redundant data entry and to enable access to data from any PC on a healthcare facility’s network.
“With the ever increasing financial pressures facing the medical community, CardioSoft provides the flexibility for physicians to have exactly the capability they need to provide cost-effective patient care,” added Genau.
The Resting ECG and Exercise Stress Testing applications transform a doctor’s PC into a cardiac testing station featuring GE’s gold standard 12SL™ 12-lead ECG analysis program. The on-screen ECG measurements allow for a paperless workflow in the office, yet allow multiple report formats when a printed version is needed.
The Ambulatory Blood Pressure application enables monitoring of blood pressure over extended periods. “The physician can record and review comprehensive blood pressure data in textual and graphical displays,” said Genau. The data includes 24-hour blood pressure trends, averages and statistics for both day and night summaries.
The SpiroSoft™ module allows monitoring of patients with pulmonary function disorders using portable, lightweight devices with a self-calibrating function to ensure accurate measurements.
Microsoft Windows®-based CardioSoft is compatible with standard hardware and software and easily shares data with common word processing and spreadsheet programs. All the records can be stored, printed, or saved in a PDF (portable document file) format and attached to patient records in most clinical and information systems. With the CardioSoft WEB option, reports can be accessed from any standard Internet browser, so that physicians can view reports and waveforms from any place at any time.
In addition to the new introduction in the U.S., CardioSoft technology is available throughout Europe and in parts of Asia.
About GE Medical Systems Information Technologies
GE Medical Systems Information Technologies provides hospitals and healthcare systems with advanced solutions to improve their clinical performance. The company’s expertise spans the areas of cardiology, patient monitoring, image management, clinical communications, clinical information systems and Six Sigma-based management tools to enable a real-time, integrated electronic medical record. GE Medical Systems Information Technologies is a business of GE Medical Systems, a $10 billion global leader in medical imaging and technology. Additional information about GE Medical Systems can be found at www.gemedical.com.
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