From the April 2013 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Major players in the mobile C-arm industry have developed their own FPD offerings. Philips introduced a FPD mobile C-arm in 2009 followed by a second-generation model in 2012. Siemens has a FPD mobile C-arm in development. Ziehm believes that the entrance of leading players into the market will help legitimize the FPD trend.
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“It took a little longer than we expected for them to enter the market, but now, we believe it will help to push that market,” says Martin Herzmann, director of global marketing for Ziehm Imaging.
While supporters believe the market is ready to embrace FPD, the C-arm industry leader, GE Healthcare, hasn’t joined in yet.
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“Our feeling is the technology necessary in a flat panel detector has to be applicable for our customers in a mobile C-arm,” says Jon Snyder, chief technology officer, GE Healthcare Surgery. “And we just haven’t seen the technology yet reach that point.”
Yet, if patterns in the orthopedic imaging-driven mini C-arm market are any indication of the direction the mobile market will take, the industry is indeed primed to bring in FPD technology. The mini C-arm company Orthoscan introduced flat panel detectors two years ago, and now its FPD C-arms make up 90 percent of the company’s sales.
Anita Eaves, senior vice president of sales and marketing, says she thinks the extra $20,000 price tag for mini C-arms is accessible, but the higher price for standard sized mobiles might still be prohibitive for many potential customers. While C-arms with image intensifiers range in price from around $100,000 to $160,000, FPD prices can cost from $180,000 to $200,000.
“I think the fact that it took off as it did in the mini C-arm industry with that $20,000 price increase indicates that they believe in the technology, it’s the pricing that’s still prohibitive for many potential customers in the full size market,” says Eaves.
