by
Lauren Dubinsky, Senior Reporter | November 13, 2015
From the November 2015 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
“The customer does not have to purchase multiple detectors that would be used in more of a specialized clinical case,” says
Joe D’Antonio, U.S. product manager for portable X-rays at Siemens. “Rather, they can share detectors between systems.” If the battery’s charge depletes on traditional systems, it usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes to recharge it so it can be used again, but the Mira Max can be plugged into wall power so that exams can be performed immediately. “There is virtually no scenario that can exist where you wouldn’t be available to shoot X-ray from a power perspective,” says D’Antonio.
Jay Hill, chief technology officer of detection and guidance solutions at GE, believes that portable DR systems will continue to evolve in two dimensions. The flexibility of the imaging will improve through different imaging modes and advanced fixed room applications, and the reliability and usability of the systems will also improve in terms of battery life, better wireless infrastructure connection and higher bandwidth.
“The beauty of moving to the digital world is that advanced imaging becomes a software problem,” says Hill. “Over the last 50 years we learned that software problems eventually get solved.” Although portable DR systems can now do many of the things that fixed room systems can, Hill believes there will always be a need for the positioning flexibility and precision of fixed systems. “Fixed room systems will always be ahead of mobile systems,” he adds. “I think there is always an inherent advantage for the more sophisticated imaging modes and more sophisticated acquisition in a fixed room.”
Better neonatal care
Imaging neonates can be a challenge because technologists need to be very conscious of radiation dose. Crouse Hospital in Syracuse, New York, installed Carestream’s DRX-Revolution Mobile X-ray System to improve care in the neonatal ICU (NICU). “We were looking for a DR system for the neonatal ICU because we do a lot of bedside portable radiography there and physicians need immediate results,” says
Brad Hellwig, director of radiology at Crouse Hospital. “The DRX-Revolution has both a console and a tube stand screen so everyone can see where the end of the catheter is and check positioning of tubes and lines.”
The staff was able to reduce dose by more than half. It’s crucial to limit dose in the NICU because of the harmful effects radiation can have on neonates and also because they often need multiple X-ray exams. “The NICU babies tend to be some of the most radiographed patients that we have because their health condition changes so rapidly,” says Hellwig. “There are babies out there who get X-rayed every day and sometimes multiple times a day. Any small reduction in dose for them is critical.”
