From the April 2013 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

Besides improved resolution, FPD mobile C-arms also free up space in the operating room and can make surgeons more comfortable.

“We were so focused on the advantages of a flat detector, like the 16,000 more shades of gray, but for the orthopedic surgeon, their primary comment was, ‘Wow, I’m not going to have that intensifier banging into my knee all day every day while I’m doing surgery,’” says Eaves.


Outpatient is in for mobile C-arms
Whether a mobile C-arm has a flat panel detector or not, advances in technology paired with an increased call for minimally invasive surgery has created a need for fluoroscopy in more procedures than ever before. The high demand for pain management is also an industry driver, according to Research and Markets.

“When we started with C-arm, we started with orthopedic procedures,” says Sandeep Chalke, global growth leader, GE Healthcare Surgery. “We’re now seeing a lot in the vascular space, and some in the cardiology space.”

In fact, now that mobile C-arms are more versatile, some smaller facilities may even choose them over fixed rooms.



The rise in outpatient facilities like Julian’s may also be contributing to mobile C-arm sales. Vascular surgeon Mark Rummel, a partner at Advanced Vascular Surgery in Kalamazoo, Mich., purchased a mobile C-arm from Siemens when he decided to provide services to dialysis patients in-office rather than at his hospital.

“We had difficulty getting patients into the operating room or into the hospital in a timely manner so that we could maintain dialysis access, and we realized that we weren’t getting great results,” he says. “Because of that, we ended up opening an area in our office where we do graft maintenance.”

April 2013 Magazine

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