by
Lauren Dubinsky, Senior Reporter | March 14, 2016
From the March 2016 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
LR: Once they have decided what their procedure mix is, they should diversify the fleet. We sell image intensifier systems, which are a little less expensive and a little less powerful, all the way up to high-end flat panel and vascular systems. They should look at how many of the different types of procedures they are doing, and then purchase different types of systems, so they can utilize them appropriately and then save money by purchasing some lower-cost C-arms.
If they are evaluating whether they need 3-D imaging in the operating room, they should consider looking at 3-D C-arms if they are looking to save money, not necessarily going with a [mobile] CT. Depending on the procedure mix and how many procedures they are doing, sometimes a 3-D C-arm might be perfectly suitable for what they need.
HCB News: How is the technology that mitigates dose concerns evolving?
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GPF: We should not be looking at dose alone — it’s really an image quality/dose equation. We believe that the answer is a combination of an optimized image chain and enabling users to achieve the expertise required to make full use of it. The answer is not simply to add more raw power. We truly believe that the right answer is to achieve a balanced image quality/ dose equation. We are investing in a number of technologies around next-generation, low-dose flat panel detectors that will provide our customers with the high image quality they have come to expect. Ultimately, it’s not just about technology, but rather having clinically relevant technology in combination with the users’ expertise that will deliver on the promise of better image quality at low dose.
LR: I think the companies are moving toward more pulse fluoroscopy instead of continuous fluoroscopy, and that can significantly decrease the dose. They are also offering a lot of features like radiation-free collimation — being able to collimate off the last image that they have acquired — and newer algorithms and filters that can help reduce dose, but maintain image quality.
HCB News: What are the essential Carm features that a hospital on a budget should spend the extra money on?
