From the November 2016 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


New DR systems
Several new DR systems hit the market this past year. One of those is Varian Medical Systems’ Nexus DR Digital X-ray Imaging System, which received FDA 510(k) clearance in September. “The Nexus DR has a very intuitive and modern touchscreen interface, and importantly, it is integrated with the high-quality Varian DR panels,” says Rick Colbeth, general manager and vice president of image detectors at Varian.

It was designed to be integrated with a hospital’s RIS, so that patient data can be pulled up quickly. The technologist only has to press one button to acquire the images and then the images automatically go into the PACS. The system includes an image detector, computer, high-resolution monitor and Varian’s proprietary image processing software. Each system can be configured to process data from multiple detectors. Traditionally, the technologists have to enter the patient data, including their name and the anatomy that needs to be imaged. Much point-and-click action is required just to acquire the image, and if the image processing is marginal, then it needs to be fixed so the radiologist is satisfied with the image.
Carestream’s DRX-Evolution Plus imaging system is another new DR system on the market. In April, SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital in St. Louis became one of the first hospitals in the U.S. to install it for its emergency department patients. The radiology team installed a wall stand on a rail with a fixed DRX detector, and a DRX Plus 3543 detector is used on the table and for tabletop exams. An angulated wall bucky is on a rail and can span the length of the exam room, which enables the technologists to perform cross-table work with a patient on the X-ray table and the bucky next to the table.

The room layout and functionality of the wall bucky make the procedure safer for the patient because the patient isn’t being moved around as much. Also, the less you move the patient, the less pain they experience.

At the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2015 annual meeting, Siemens Healthineers announced FDA clearance for its Multitom Robotic Advanced Xray (Rax). The company claims it’s the world’s first twin robotic X-ray system. It can be used for trauma, orthopedic, interventional and pain management applications. The system consists of two ceiling-mounted robotic arms that can be positioned automatically or manually. One of the arms controls the X-ray tube and the other controls the 17-inch-by-17-inch flat-panel detector.

It allows for the acquisition of 3-D natural weight-bearing images. A patient’s knees, pelvis and spinal column appear differently in images when their body weight is applied compared to when they are lying down. In June, The University of Utah Health Care in Salt Lake City became the first facility in the U.S. to install the Multitom Rax. Facility personnel can perform a wider range of applications in a single imaging room without having to move the patient.

November 2016 Magazine

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