When it comes to refurbishing the C-arms, Wayne Horsman, VP Columbia Imaging Inc. a C-Arms dealer based in Columbia, has a different view than many others.

"One of the things we decided, through our experience, is that the usual process of refurbishment, we completely disagree with," Horsman says. "Normally, they get equipment at the end of life and rewire, repaint and redo them. Our philosophy is to find the nicest, newest, best piece of equipment we can find so we don't have to do all that to it."


At Bighorn Biomedical, the company completely dismantles the C-arms and goes through them at the component level. "We put about 120 manpower hours into the unit," Surratt says. "We replace the batteries that power up the unit and the little batteries that run the computer system, which most people don't."


Mini C-Arms strong

As noted previously, Hologic had just introduced a new digital version of their mini C-arm when the GE decree came down, so they inherited about 90%t of the mini market.

"The timing was good because we had a good, solid product but the manufacturing couldn't gear up any faster so we did have a supply issue with lead times going from 30 days to as much as 90 days," says Richard Keil, National Sales Manager for Hologic Fluoroscan. "We've been quick learners and have gotten the lion's share of the business over the last two years and really saw business boom."

Since GE still hasn't been cleared to ship their mini C-arms, Hologic should continue to be the OEM leader.

"The business of the mini C-arm is healthy because there's a big demand and need for it," Keil says. "It's hard to get a hold of a large C-arm sometimes so when an extremity surgeon wants to do a foot or hand or ankle surgery, the perfect solution has been this lower cost, lower dose, mini C-arm."

Over the last few years, the biggest changes in the mini C-arms have been the switch from an analog system to digital system and from regular to flat panel monitors.

One troubling trend that Keil has noticed in the last few months is that some customers are starting to be scared off by the economic uncertainty in the U.S.

"Although the last two years have been a big boom for us, since January, the opportunity for sales has dropped down and we are hearing a lot of customers saying they are going to hold off," he says. "They aren't saying they are not going to buy, just going to hold off six to nine months to see how the financial landscape evens-out before they purchase."

Customers are also turning more towards the refurbished market for minis.

"Mini C-arms sell as fast as you can get your hands on them. This is a very fine example of supply and demand," says Adkins. "We haven't been able to part a mini C-arm out for two years. Their value is so high on the market. They are hard to get and you can sell them as soon as you get them in. I could sell three or four today if I had them. OEC still isn't putting any out so it's a big problem. People want OEC."

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