Ultrasound is a user-intensive modality, which means that simplifying the way a clinician interacts with the system will greatly improve the overall user experience. This was the focus behind Siemens Healthineers’ newly designed family of ultrasound systems, the Acuson S Family, HELX Evolution with Touch Control. Targeting the premium market segment, each of the three systems in the Acuson S Family features innovative technologies that improve system operation and reduce user errors during examinations. Healthcare providers including hospitals, clinics and private practices can upgrade or update their systems at any time providing investment protection for their existing systems. Following intensive user research conducted by Siemens Corporate Research across four key regions and over 170 usability sessions, HELX Evolution with Touch Control was designed for easy usability. A completely reworked user interface simplifies operation with 44percent fewer software keys, 33percent fewer tactile keys and 22percent fewer homebase controls. The control panel features an intuitive touch display that helps eliminate unnecessary workflow steps. The systems feature new imaging optimization technologies to enhance image quality with challenging patients and for abdominal, breast, vascular and musculoskeletal exams. Shear wave elastography technologies are improved to provide more information in a single image for the quantitative or qualitative characterization of tissue. Multi-modality imaging, where real-time ultrasound is superimposed onto 3D CT or MRI volumes, is complemented with newly enhanced workflow tools to make it more relevant and more practical to use in the clinical routine. The Acuson S Family offers solutions to meet a large variety of user needs. The Acuson S3000 ultrasound system is designed for multi-modality imaging in general imaging and interventional radiology. The Acuson S2000 is an all-purpose ultrasound system for general imaging and includes special functions for women’s health. For cardiology and vascular imaging needs, the Acuson S1000 ultrasound system delivers great value.
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Thales introduces a new class of flat panel detectors, the Pixium portable 3543 DR, extending its range of cassette size portable detectors. As the latest product in the line, the Pixium portable 3543 DR features the most state-of-the-art performance levels of any portable flat panel detectors on the market. The Pixium portable 3543 DR combines the best technology developed by Trixell, the joint venture between Thales, Siemens and Philips for the development of flat panel detectors. It also optimizes design to cost parameters which helps reduce total cost of ownership, thus bringing high-end digital radiography within easy reach of any OEM or integrator regardless of budgetary constraints. Because it is wifi-enabled, it offersmore flexibility and allows technicians to quickly share images with diagnosticians, thus streamlining hospital operations. It also includes a lightweight, X-ray, auto-detection, image storage, multi-share with automatic attachment by infra-red. It can also support new communication protocols such as Near Field Communication (NFC), and features two types of scintillators, CsI as well as Gadox, making it suitable for new radiography equipment or retrofit of existing analogue systems.
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With up to twice higher signal levels than 1.5T systems, 3.0T MR systems improve spatial resolution and therefore provide more information on very fine anatomical structures. Typically, 3.0T MRIs are common in academic and research hospitals. Now the SIGNA Pioneer brings the power of 3.0T for clinical use and it is designed for accessibility to a broader range of healthcare providers. The SIGNA Pioneer 3.0T MRI delivers the ease-of-use and flexibility of a 1.5T system, with improved image homogeneity and reproducibility for oncology and spine imaging for example. In addition, ultra-high efficiency gradient technology enables high performance, even during demanding clinical applications such as cardiology or oncology. Using equivalent imaging parameters, physicians can use the signal gain to shorten patients’breath-holds for liver exploration; SIGNA Pioneer also enables free-breathing body imaging for a much improved patient experience but also image quality in very challenging situations. The new MAGiC sequence is a major innovation in neuroimaging enabling clinicians to generate six contrasts in a single scan and in as little as one-third of the total time taken to acquire each contrast separately using conventional techniques. After an acquisition of only approximately 5 minutes, it is now possible to adjust the image contrast in real time, even after completing the scan, by simply moving a dynamic cursor to change conventional MRI acquisition parameters (TE, TR and TI) depending on the disease or the age of the patient. MAGiC also provides quantitative information (maps T1, T2, and proton density) that opens new perspectives for the characterization and monitoring of lesions. This has the potential to provide physicians the ability to detect and characterize earlier and more precisely small or secondary lesions, improving the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with neurodegenerative disorders, and enabling the adjustment of the treatment of cancer patients. Patients with neurodegenerative disease, who cannot remain still during the examinations, can also now benefit from MR. With new advanced 3D motion correction software, SIGNA Pioneer will compensate patient movement to provide the same image quality and comfort for diagnosis despite involuntary movements. An enhanced SilentScan package also dramatically reduces scan noise from excess of 110 decibels (dBA) for conventional MRI scans to just three dBA above ambient noise for most head exams, a major differentiator for patient comfort and to minimize the risk of deteriorating image quality in anxious patients.
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The b-card (Boussignac Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation Device) is a non-invasive ventilation system providing continuous oxygen delivery during CPR (CardioPulmonary Resuscitation). The device ensures dynamic alveolar ventilation without the need to pause chest compressions. Recent international scientific recommendations advocate chest compressions should not be interrupted when treating a cardiac arrest, in order to ensure continuous blood flow. However, it is still desirable to provide oxygen. Therefore emergency responders currently alternate between chest compressions and ventilation at a rate of 30 compressions to two rescue breaths. The new b-card device eliminates the need to stop compressions to ventilate. Connected to a source delivering oxygen at a flow rate of 15L/minute, the b-card generates a virtual valve. This acts as the heart’ of the device, optimizing the pressure created during the chest compression and decompression phases of resuscitation. Each chest compression has a dual action: helping to expel the air contained in the alveolae and simultaneously pumping blood from the chest cavity into general circulation. In the decompression phase, the virtual valve creates negative intrathoracic pressure, optimizing gas exchange in the alveoli. At the same time, it improves venous return towards the heart. This increases the blood flow ejected from the heart during the next chest compression. B-card has the dual effect of optimizing hemodynamics and ventilation when lifesavers are performing chest compressions. As a simple device requiring minimal training, it can be used by first responders, allowing them to treat cardiac arrests more effectively. The device is being successfully used by a number of pre-hospital medical teams in France and elsewhere. It includes the option to use it with a face mask and can be fitted by professional emergency first responders – emergency workers, qualified first aiders and nurses – who often provide the first-line response to an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
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