"This study is the first of its kind to investigate the cardiovascular effects of rest and activity of both short- and long-range athletes who follow fundamentally different training regimes," said Dr. Picard. "We hope that our findings will enable new methods for more precise diagnosis of heart disease in everyone from Olympic athletes to the patients we see every day."

GE's Vivid i ultrasound system offers the functionality and high performance of larger-scale systems, but in a portable and wireless design that weighs only 10 pounds. The system makes it possible for patients to receive full diagnostic exams anywhere, as opposed to being transported to an imaging lab in a hospital. In addition, physicians can wirelessly transfer files from the system to other physicians for instant consultation.


Research on U.S. Women's Ice Hockey Players Help Medical Researchers Pioneer New Methods for Assessing Injuries

The second clinical study, led by Marnix T. van Holsbeeck and Scott A. Dulchavsky of Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, will center on improving the speed and efficiency of diagnosing musculoskeletal injuries in the shoulder and knee. Researchers will investigate, over the course of a year, whether taking healthy baseline scans of the U.S. Women's Ice Hockey Team helps in determining the extent of future sports injuries with greater speed and accuracy.

In this study, researchers will use GE's LOGIQ Book XP, a lightweight, portable ultrasound system that enables real-time diagnosis anywhere - even the ice rink or locker room. Designed for a modern, all-digital healthcare environment, LOGIQ Book XP allows clinicians to share information for consultation and to archive results electronically. U.S. Olympic Committee medical staff will have these systems on hand at events prior to and during the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy.

According to Dr. Dulchavsky, it is always a challenge to evaluate injuries in the field.

"Having a healthy baseline scan of common injury sites, such as the shoulder and knee, as well as portable ultrasound technology on-site, could be a step that fundamentally improves our ability to care for athletes' injuries. Our study with the female ice hockey players could ultimately be applied to any sport - benefiting athletes from any sport or skill level," said Dulchavsky.

Both clinical studies began in September with initial results expected early in 2006. GE expects to conduct similar athlete research programs in other countries later this year.

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