CHICAGO–(BUSINESS
WIRE)–Demonstrating its continued commitment to patient care, GE
Healthcare announced an additional $300 million investment in
low-dose technologies and unveiled an array of radiation-dose management
offerings today at RSNA 2011. Representing more than $800 million of investment
over 15 years, GE Healthcares innovative technologies redefine “low dose” with
novel dose-reporting solutions, unique image reconstruction techniques, far-reaching
Dose Check upgrades, free iPad apps and online courses, and a new informational
website, which together help physicians provide patients with unparalleled
dose-conscious care.
GE Healthcares low-dose vision builds on its decades-long
leadership in equipping radiologists and technologists with technologies that
help them reduce patient dose and improve image quality. These solutions,
detailed on the new Responsible Imaging website (www.gehealthcare.com/ResponsibleImaging), include:
DoseWatch*, a novel multi-modality dose monitoring solution; Veo*, a pioneering
image reconstruction technology that has enabled CT imaging under 1
millisievert with profound clarity; dose-alert upgrades that go further across
the installed base; free radiation safety iPad apps and low-dose webinars
offering education and CE credits to healthcare professionals globally; Innova*
interventional imaging systems designed to maximize dose efficiency, reduce
dose and simplify dose management; and low-dose ASiR* technology, available
across the GE Healthcare CT portfolio and used on over 1,000 systems for more
than 10 million patient exams to date.
“Medical imaging has been indispensible in helping
physicians diagnose disease and has positively affected millions of lives,”
said Tom Gentile, president and CEO of Healthcare Systems at GE Healthcare.
“GEs commitment to patient care means equipping our customers with
revolutionary tools that help them provide the highest level of care and
diagnostic accuracy while striving for the lowest possible dose.”
Impacting Patients – One Exam at a Time
GEs new dose-tracking and reporting solution, DoseWatch*, helps healthcare
facilities analyze patient exposure levels over time, which in turn can impact
the quality of care provided by physicians. Supplementing existing dose
awareness technologies, DoseWatch doesnt discriminate – capturing standardized
dose information on CT, interventional, mammography and X-ray systems from a
range of equipment vendors. Also, in support of MITAs Dose Check initiative,
Image Wisely and Image Gently, and the US Joint Commissions recent
communication on radiation dose1, GE Healthcare is aggressively integrating
dose alert technology on new and existing GE CT systems.
Empowering Physicians – One Procedure at a Time
The Innova family of single and biplane imaging systems offers excellent image
quality with industry-leading Detective Quantum Efficiency (DQE) for a wide
range of interventional procedures. An integral component of these products is
the ability to optimize the radiation dose based on the needs of the patient,
helping to enable clinicians to achieve the appropriate balance of radiation
exposure and image quality in interventional care.
Informing Medical Professionals – One Click at a Time
Complementing classroom-setting low dose CT Masters Series educational courses,
GE now offers free CT Low Dose Webinars at http://www.gehealthcare.com/ctedu/dosewebinar globally.
With more than 3,000 downloads already this year, these expert-led forums are
approved by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists for Category A
Continuing Education credits. And in Europe,
GE facilitates leading physicians in educating their peers at low dose
symposiums in several nations.
GEs Brilliant* program is designed to help mobile C-arm
users manage radiation dose while producing optimum images to enable great
patient care. The educational program, which complements the companys existing
customer training offerings and dose reduction product features, includes C-arm
dose management classes, an iPad application and hany reference tools. Since
its introduction about one year ago, more than 2,000 people have downloaded the
OEC Radiation Safety iGuide app.
Redefining Low Dose CT – Less than One Millisievert at a
Time
Continuing GE CTs heritage of innovation, Veo is the CT industrys first
Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction technology, opening the door to high image
performance at previously unheard of CT low-dose levels.2 Veo has sub-mSv
capabilities that help deliver confident diagnosis – potentially enabling lower
noise (standard deviation), improved low contrast detectability and spatial
resolution, and fewer low signal artifacts. 2,3 Revolutionary technologies like
Veo represent GEs commitment to minimize the CT industrys traditional yet undesirable
trade-off between clear images and lower radiation dose.
For more information of GEs commitment to patient safety
and low dose medical imaging, please visit www.gehealthcare.com/ResponsibleImaging.
About GE Healthcare:
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that
are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise in medical imaging
and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems,
drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance
improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver
better care to more people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we
partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change
necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems.
Our “healthymagination” vision for the future invites the
world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused
on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality around the world.
Headquartered in the United
Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a unit of General
Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employees are committed
to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100
countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com
For our latest news, please visit http://newsroom.gehealthcare.com
1. U.S. Joint Commission Sentinel Event Alert, Issue 47
(August 24, 2011): “Radiation risks of diagnostic imaging.”
2. In clinical practice, the use of Veo may reduce CT
patient dose depending on the clinical task, patient size, anatomical location
and clinical practice. A consultation with a radiologist and a physicist should
be made to determine the appropriate dose to obtain diagnostic image quality
for the particular clinical task.
3. In clinical practice, the actual level of LCD, spatial
resolution, and low signal artifact improvement may vary. Consult with a
radiologist and a physicist.
Posted by Sean Fenske, Editor-in-Chief, MDT