GE’s new SIGNA Premier MRI scanner has been developed to offer better images of the brain, however it also provides sharper images from other parts of the body too, including knees, vital organs and elbows. For scanning the elbow, for instance, instead of having the patient lying still for a 25-minute scan with an arm wrapped in a bulky plastic tube to be kept bent above the head, SIGNA Premier uses a more comfortable alternative: a coil, shaped like a mat, that is laid over the patient’s body like a blanket. Called AIR Technology it is lightweight and also offers a more conclusive body scan thanks to its extra channels. SIGNA Premier’s head coil has 48 channels for probing anomalies, and patients wear it like a helmet. And while older MRI scanners have a knee coil with eight channels, SIGNA Premier’s has 18, allowing a clearer definition of the muscles and cartilage surrounding the knee joint, for instance. Sharper images can also have a direct impact on diagnosing and treating patients who are suspected of having cancer, enabling for example the visualization of smaller imperfections in the prostate, thereby helping to reduce the number of painful biopsies on prostate patients.
SIGNA Premier’s wider bore — an opening of 70 centimeters in diameter versus the typical 60 — also helps make a scan easier for that 5 percent of patients who suffer from claustrophobia.

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Fujifilm Medical Systems has added three new digital X-ray suites – FDR Clinica U, FDR Clinica X and D-EVO Suite FSx – to its portfolio of imaging technologies. Fujifilm Medical Systems is part of Fujifilm Healthcare.
Rick Banner, Senior Director of Marketing, Modality Solutions, Fujifilm Medical Systems U.S.A., said the digital X-ray suites feature “just right” designs and capabilities for hospitals and outpatient applications, and add to their existing line-up of floor mounted and overhead systems.
The FDR Clinica X Suite suite offers a scalable, budget-friendly DR solution with full functionality. New features include a smart display on the X-ray tube head, generator controls integrated into the new FDX One Console acquisition workstation, and built-in detector connections to the rotating DR trays. Fujifilm notes that the versatile solution offers multiple workflow conveniences and provides upgrade options for automated long-length exams at the chest stand.
The FDR Clinica U is a compact, single digital radiography (DR) detector u-arm system, with versatile positioning. The company says it is ideal for outpatient, private practices and small imaging facilities. They add that it is a spacesaving alternative to a full-room system. FDR Clinica U offers flexible patient positioning in a compact, affordable design with simplified installation requirements. The system automatically maintains alignment between the X-ray tube and image receptor at all times, to simplify positioning and workflow. The system also features a new FDX One Console incorporating full generator system controls integrated into the one technologist acquisition workstation. The D-EVO Suite FSx is an update to its predecessor the FDR D-EVO Suite FS. The revision offers new flexibility and functions that are not typically available on floor-mounted systems. New features include large colour touchscreen display controls at the tube head and, among other options, automated tube height tracking to table and chest detector elevations and auto-collimation.
For more information, visit: www.fujimed.com
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The latest enhancements for the HVO-3300MT 3D HD medical video recorder includes a new firmware upgrade (Ver 1.1) that adds support for DICOM Modality Worklist (MWL), allowing direct access to patient name and ID plus other metadata from a Hospital Information System (HIS) or Radiology Information System (RIS). Instead of manually typing metadata into the modality, the operator simply selects a patient’s name or ID from a provided worklist which then automatically populates all required metadata fields. Images captured by the recorder can then be stored on the hospital Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS). As a further enhancement, 2D or 3D live video captured by endoscopes or cameras in the Operating Room can now be streamed in Full HD to consultant’s offices or lecture theatres for viewing by doctors, student and other medical staff outside the OR.  The HVO-3300MT lets clinicians capture high quality video and still images acquired with 3D/2D endoscopic camera systems, surgical microscopes, and other compatible medical imaging systems. It is capable of recording with Full HD resolution from a connected modality onto its high-capacity internal hard drive. Video footage can also be stored simultaneously on up to two external media devices, including Blu-ray Disc/DVD, USB memory or networked server for easy sharing. In addition, the HVO-3300MT is capable of simultaneous two channel video recording in 2D or 3D. Compliant with the latest medical safety standards, the recorder features a compact design that allows easy integration in a medical cart.
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The CE-marked and FDA-cleared Early Sepsis Indicator by Beckman Coulter is a hematology-based solution designed to alert emergency department clinicians to the possibility of sepsis or risk of developing sepsis. It is part of a routine complete blood count (CBC) with differential test for adults entering through ED, so there is no additional test to order. The Early Sepsis Indicator gives physicians a rapid and  simple tool that can aid in the fight against sepsis. Sepsis is an often-deadly condition that affects 26 million people worldwide every year and is increasing at a rate of 1.5% annually. Timely and accurate detection solutions in the acute-care setting are key components to stopping the progression of sepsis, as patients with less severe sepsis can progress to severe sepsis or septic shock within 72 hours. Up to half of patients with sepsis die. In addition to the human toll, this global crisis places a significant clinical and economic burden on the healthcare system. A clear link exists between the timeliness of treatment and the possibility of death. When antibiotics are administered early to patients with septic shock, the likelihood of death is decreased by 7.6% per hour. Because emergency department personnel are often on the front line of care for people facing critical conditions, giving them a simple and easy tool for detecting sepsis can help make significant strides against this prevailing threat. The fact that this early warning indicator is part of a routine blood test means that clinicians receive results rapidly, with no additional workflow burden to the laboratory or emergency department. The Early Sepsis Indicator uses the DxH 900 hematology analyser’s Coulter technology, which characterizes cells in their near-native states. The system’s powerful VCS 360 technology can uniquely detect morphological changes in monocytes – cells of the innate immune system that provide a first line of defence against infections. Monocytes play a role in the dysregulated immune response to sepsis, and identifying morphological changes provides insight into possible sepsis earlier than other indicators.
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Carestream Health’s DRX-Revolution Nano Mobile X-ray System is helping to avoid the possible spread of hospital-acquired infection from adult patients to the youngest patients in Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health System’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
VCU Health, an academic medical centre, installed the DRX-Revolution Nano as a unit dedicated solely to the NICU.
“Having one system dedicated to the floor will help reduce the chances of hospital-acquired infections going from patient to patient and room to room,” said Robert Jarvis III, Diagnostic Imaging Modality Manager at VCU Health.
The DRX-Revolution Nano’s compact footprint allows for easy positioning in critical care units, while providing high-quality digital radiography imaging.
“We made the purchase with the mindset that it will support the NICU population in our hospital, and the small footprint makes it easy to get in and out of the rooms,” Jarvis added.
VCU Health has a large fleet of Carestream DRX-Revolution Mobile X-ray Systems, as well as the Carestream DRX-Evolution Plus system.
Carestream’s X-Factor platform lets facilities share the same wireless detector seamlessly across all Carestream DRX products and allows technologists to move easily between different systems with minimal training time, speeding up workflow and exams.
“The biggest advantage is the graphical user interface with the software,” said Jarvis, who also praised Carestream’s image quality. “I can train someone on the DRX-Evolution Plus because it’s the same software on the DRX-Revolution and the Nano. They can go to any Carestream system and pick it up right away.”
For more information, visit: www.carestream.com
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