Frizzle is keen on the new flat panel digital image screens now available from Siemens and others.

"It's like going from watching analog television to digital, the quality of picture is that good."


"Today, the new kid on the block is the digital flat panel detector (FPD) replacing the Image Intensifier and TV chain," Hoffman agrees, but he notes he's heard from doctors who like the Image Intensifiers better. "Image perception varies between doctors," he notes. "However, the future is with the FPD. The major drawback is the high cost of service contracts."

Indeed, all of the DOTmed readers who responded to our Cath/Angio questionnaire underscore the best way to upgrade a Special Procedures Suite in the field is to do a digital upgrade.

"I would bring in a mobile and upgrade the whole suite," says Hogan, who also recommends upgrading to new style generators/new style monitors/add-on Dicom option/image upgrades and II-pickuptube-monitors.

Other technological advances within the Cardi/Angio Suite cited include lower doses per patient with higher-grain II-pulsed fluoro, High-Frequency generators, and, better safety features (less collisions between patient and equipment) and high voltage generators with chopper inverter.

Considering the ongoing advances and the truly fatal cost for any error, what should a buyer look for, and look out for, when buying a refurbished Cath or Angio Lab?

"Absolutely know the company doing the refurbishing," Carl Hoffman begins. "Go see their facility. Are their people trained or is the refurbishing farmed out? Is the company ISO certified?"

"I would only go one generation back in age/image quality-even with a company with experience," adds Chris Hogan. Nelson Espinosa, whose company is based in Buenos Aires, suggests buyers get a field engineer's opinion while looking at service records, tube and II rate replacement, number and kind of parts replaced and user experience.

"Most of all, make sure the refurbishing company isn't a 'spray and pray' company," warns Hoffman.

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DOTmed Registered Special Procedure Cath & Angio Labs Sales and Service Companies
Names in boldface are Premium Listings.

Domestic
Dick Slade, BIS Technologies, AZ
DOTmed Certified
Alex Sapp, NCI, CA
DOTmed Certified/100
Samuel Sandlin, A.M. X-Ray Service, FL
DOTmed Certified
Ralph Frizzle, GECO, FL
David Denholtz, Integrity Medical Systems, Inc., FL
DOTmed Certified/100
Bill Adkins, National X-Ray Corporation, FL
DOTmed Certified/100
Jeff Rogers, Medical Imaging Resources Inc., MI
DOTmed 100
Robert Manetta, Nationwide Imaging Services, Inc., NJ
DOTmed Certified/100
Bernard Glas, Adam Medical Sales, Inc., NY
DOTmed Certified/100
Ari Laufer, ALAKA Medical Systems, Inc., NY
DOTmed Certified/100
Gary Benitez, Crown Medical International, Inc., NY
DOTmed Certified/100
Sal Aidone, Deccaid Services, Inc., NY
DOTmed Certified
Marc Todd, Longevity, LLC, NY
DOTmed Certified
Darrel Kile, Classic Diagnostic Imaging, OH
DOTmed Certified/100
Steve Stepanski, Express Systems & Parts Network, Inc., OH
DOTmed Certified/100
Jim Monro, RSTI Training Center, OH
DOTmed Certified/100
James Bowman, Jr., US Medical Resources Corp, OH
Peter Chen, Global Medical Equipment, PA
DOTmed Certified/100
Jason Botko, APlus Medical, SC
Pamela King, JP International, SC
DOTmed Certified
Chris Hogan, MEPS, Inc., TN
Debbie van der Touw, Radiology OneSource, TN
DOTmed Certified/100
Paul Stanton, ReMedPar, TN
Jim Hopkins, Innovative Solutions for Medicine, WA
DOTmed Certified
Jeremy Probst, Technical Prospects LLC, WI
DOTmed Certified/100

International
Nelson Espinosa, ITBA, Argentina
Himanshu Gupta, EverX Pty Ltd, Australia
DOTmed Certified/100
Andrew Heggie, Origin Industries, Australia
DOTmed Certified/100
Daisy Huang, Medical Essence, China
Yousry Zainy, Target 2000, Egypt
Anders Jensen, AGITO Medical, France
DOTmed Certified/100
Rami Marom, ElsMed Ltd & Relaxation, Inc., Israel
DOTmed Certified
Haitham Khoury, Medmack ITE, Syria
Harry Khabra, Lundy Healthcare Ltd., United Kingdom
DOTmed Certified/100

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