From the November 2022 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


FDA gives nod to Siemens' ARTIS icono ceiling CT angiography system

In July, Siemens Healthineers received FDA clearance for its ARTIS icono ceiling, a cone beam CT angiography system mounted to hospital ceilings for routine and advanced interventional radiology and cardiology procedures.


The solution scans the head in 2.5 seconds and the left and right sides of the body in four seconds. The short 3D spin reduces motion artifacts and makes scans dependent on less contrast media.

Its OPTIQ image chain increases image quality across C-arm angles and different patient weights, while reducing dose to levels that adhere to the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) guiding principal for radiation safety.

"With the ARTIS icono ceiling, Siemens Healthineers combines excellent image quality and a previously unseen level of design flexibility to be the angiography system of choice for an unprecedented number of interventional radiology and cardiovascular procedures," said Kris McVey, vice president of interventional radiology and cardiology at Siemens Healthineers North America, in a statement.

OPTIQ sets exposure parameters based on desired image quality. New rotational capabilities and simplified cabling of the C-arm reduce scanning time. The system’s open architectural design enables vendor-neutral third-party applications to be integrated to keep it up-to-date, regardless of the vendor.

EHR guidelines decrease reliance on contrast-enhanced CT amid shortage
Implementing entry-based guidelines for EHR orders may enable large healthcare systems to significantly cut back the number of contrast-enhanced CT exams they perform while the global shortage of iodinated contrast media continues.

In a retrospective study published in August, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital looked at these exams performed at two large academic medical centers, seven community hospitals, three specialty hospitals and multiple affiliated ambulatory care centers. All used a single EHR System, Epic System’s Hyperspace.

Among 78,792 patients who underwent at least one CT exam in outpatient, inpatient and emergency department settings, the authors found that interventions in EHR orders led to a decrease in procedures using contrast media.

"The number of patients undergoing contrast-enhanced CT examinations per day decreased by 12%, and the number of orders for CT with contrast media decreased by 15.2% per day," they wrote in the study.

Brought on by the shutdown in March of GE Healthcare's Shanghai plant, the shortage has caused providers worldwide to ration nonurgent procedures and curb their use of contrast agents for those that require it the most. And while the plant has reopened, the impact still lingers.

November 2022 Magazine

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