by
Keith Loria, Reporter | May 10, 2010
Customer Concerns
Before purchasing any C-arm, an end user needs to ask some important questions to make sure that they are getting what's right for them and their facility.
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"Within the operating room, customers are dealing with choices," Manum says. "They need to figure out if they should buy the new generation or the one that they are already comfortable with. They should ask about the current technology and the benefits of the image quality."
According to Manum, other important questions include: "What is the availability of service in this area?" "What is the cost of a service technician?" and "What similar technology is coming out?"
"The most important things that customers should be asking concerns themselves, as far as what their real working budgets are and what procedures the units will be put under," says Gugel. "I find that a lot of brokers and dealers push and substitute units that are of no or little use to certain doctors. This in turn creates confusion and unnecessary machines entering service."
Looking Ahead
Compared to what they were used for 20, 10 or even 5 years ago, new procedures seem to come out every month that can utilize the C-arm technology and that is a trend that is expected to continue.
"There are about 10 to 20 new procedures that are devised to treat patients with C-arms that are non-invasive and emit a low dose of radiation," Gugel says.
As flat panel detectors continue to assimilate into the C-arms market, expect a lot of new products coming out within the next few years.
Future developments also include using 3D in urology, seed placement in the lungs and using C-arms to help pain management by finding the nerve bundles with better contrast resolution.
"There's a lot of talk on 3D imagery," says Balian. "The talk has been around for a number of years now and that will be the next step for the diagnostic imaging products. We have a product that we are working on ourselves."
Customers are also becoming more concerned with the way that everything in the room fits together and that can help drive sales of certain C-arms brands.
