WASHINGTON, D.C. - OCTOBER 17, 2005- GE Healthcare announced today a new cardiovascular imaging system that will enhance clinicians' ability to diagnose and treat heart disease and enable more precise placement of interventional devices such as stents, balloons and filters.

The Innova 2100IQ,unveiled at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting in Washington, D.C., is capable of imaging the finest vessels and anatomy of the heart during placement of interventional devices. The new system is expected to play a critical role in helping clinicians treat a growing number of chronic heart and vascular conditions including atherosclerosis, a build-up of plaque that affects blood flow in arteries.

According to the American Heart Association, atherosclerosis causes hundreds of thousands of heart attacks and strokes each year and accounts for nearly three-fourths of all U.S. deaths from cardiovascular disease.
"GE is dedicated to developing innovative technologies that improve the entire patient experience, from early and more accurate diagnosis to better treatment and management of diseases like atherosclerosis," said Laura King, Vice President of Global Interventional, Cardiology and Surgery for GE Healthcare. "The Innova 2100IQ sets a new standard in cardiac image quality and enables cardiologists to visualize human vasculature more clearly than ever before."

Specifically, the Innova 2100IQ is a state-of-the-art cardiac X-ray system that enables cardiologists to clearly visualize fine vessels from the heart to the legs both during diagnostic procedures and during placement of interventional devices. Developed in partnership with a team of industry-leading interventional cardiologists, GE designed the Innova 2100IQ based on current clinical needs in the cardiac Cath Lab.

"One of the biggest challenges in interventional cardiology today is clearly visualizing the finest vessels and intricate anatomy of the human heart", said Stanley Katz, M.D., Chief of Cardiology at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. "The Innova 2100IQ addresses this challenge by providing enhanced image quality, which enables cardiologists to more precisely perform lifesaving operations on patients with heart disease."

With more than 1,200 Innova-family systems installed worldwide, more physicians rely on GE's Innova systems to help them diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease than any other all-digital flat panel system. "We've completed more than two dozen clinical studies which demonstrate Innova's superior image quality," said King. "No other company offers a product like the Innova."

GE Healthcare's $1 billion Interventional, Cardiology and Surgery (ICS) business provides tools and technologies for fully integrated cardiac care using a broad portfolio of cardiac products and services, including cardiac cath labs, diagnostic monitoring systems and data management systems. ICS is half of GE Healthcare's overall cardiology care segment, a $2 billion business that includes diagnostic imaging, monitoring systems, bio-pharmaceuticals and informatics focused on heart disease.

"GE is an industry leader in diagnostic imaging, and we're continually innovating to improve patient care," said Laura King, Global Vice President, Interventional, Cardiology and Surgery at GE Healthcare. "We're committed to listening to and learning from cardiologists and then designing and building, from the ground up, innovative technologies that address their evolving clinical needs."

More Industry Headlines