Samsung Electronics America, Inc. announced today that it launched its new Elite performance package for the WS80A ultrasound system. The package includes expanded features including the 5-D Heart application that provides physicians with nine standard fetal cardiac views in a single sweep.

DOTmed spoke with Dr. Martin Chavez, one of the first people to in the U.S. to use the new package, and who gave input to Samsung during its development. Chavez, the chief of maternal fetal medicine at Winthrop University Hospital, runs an ultrasound unit that conducted 27,000 ultrasound procedures last year and carries out about 5,000 deliveries a year.

"Samsung has allowed me to give them the feedback, particularly when it comes to these cutting-edge technologies, to push the envelope and make sure we maximize the ability to give patients the most accurate information," said Chavez.
For heart imaging, his unit strives to get as many images as possible. That can be a challenge, and depends on what position the fetus is in and how long it stays in that position. But the 5-D Heart application allows them to get those nine standard fetal views plus the cardiac cycle in one sweep, greatly helping to reduce imaging challenges.

"That not only allows me to clear the heart much faster but it also allows me the ability to go back and interrogate the heart in more detail without necessarily having the patient wait for that [other exam] to be performed," said Chavez.

Congenital heart disease is the leading organ-specific birth defect, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chavez believes that the WS80A with Elite has the potential to improve the screening and diagnosis of that disease.

Other university hospitals are interested in doing studies to determine the impact of this new package on screening and diagnosis, according to Doug Ryan, group vice president for Samsung's health and medical equipment business unit.

The package also includes a 5-D Central Nervous System application that displays six different measurements from three transverse views generated from one volume of the fetal brain, and the 5-D Follicle application that identifies and measures multiple ovarian follicles during gynecology exams to rapidly evaluate follicular size and status.

Samsung will be showcasing the new package at the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine 35th Annual Meeting from February 4 to 6 in San Diego.

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