GE Breakthroughs Seek To Re-Invent Cardiovascular Ultrasound

Main Category: MRI / PET / Ultrasound
Also Included In: Cardiovascular / Cardiology;  Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Article Date: 06 Nov 2007 - 5:00 PDT

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One has been given the gift of enhanced, crystal-clear sight. The other gets a three-connector docking cart, stress echo and an ergonomic work over. GE Healthcare, the global ultrasound leader, launched two breakthroughs for its popular Vivid e and Vivid 7 Dimension cardiovascular ultrasound systems at this year's meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, FL. Building upon GE's successful introduction of Vivid products in 2000, GE continues to bring to market innovative, high-performance cardiovascular ultrasound systems.

Ultra Definition: True 4D Echo
The Vivid 7 Dimension '08

Now showing at AHA, Ultra-Definition Imaging brings GE's industry leading imaging performance to the next level. GE continues to focus on real clinical challenges by adding breakthrough Ultra-Definition Imaging for the overall 2D image quality in conjunction with GE's proprietary matrix array transducer technology. This introduction brings Ultra-Definition Imaging enhancements to the true real-time 4D imaging of the Vivid 7 Dimension. New Ultra-Definition Imaging combines image acquisition and processing technology to take imaging to the next level for an optimal image with one-button control. The new Ultra-Definition Clarity Control feature combines multiple 2D settings that reduce noise, keeping edges smooth without destroying fine detail. It enables image personalization for 4D, cardiac and vascular imaging.

Other enhancements making their U.S. premiere at AHA include a new set of 4D visualization tools, enhancing the user's understanding of the real-time 4D anatomy and function the system displays for cardiac imaging. "The understanding of depth in a live 3D-image, visualized on a 2D-screen, is essential - but challenging," said Dr. Heinz Tschernich, Chair, Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesiology, University of Vienna (Austria). "With the two new features, 'Depth Color Render and Stereo Vision,' General Electric provides an excellent solution to overcome this limitation. Both new features support an intuitive impression of morphologic anatomic structures in a 3D-image and therefore simplify interpretation and 3D-navigation impressively."

GE Healthcare continues to march forward with its leading LV quantification tools, adding 4D LV volume on-board the Vivid 7 Dimension system. This integration will allow users to complete 4D imaging tasks in one place, without going outside the system. GE is also introducing new capabilities for the Automated Function Imaging (AFI) functionality that can be easily incorporated into the patient exam.

Same Portability, More Possibilities
The Vivid e '08

New features on the redesigned Vivid e include capabilities designed to bring more of what has made the Vivid e the popular choice in physicians' offices since its introduction. In 2008, the Vivid e will add a fully integrated, three-connector, docking cart and stress echo, creating a hybrid system with the power of ergonomic console-style and the portability physicians have come to depend on.

The Vivid e will also expand the application, utility and workflow of GE's compact product line by completing the cardiac feature set with three probes. The P2D (pencil probe), 9L (vascular) & 8C (abdominal) probes as well as Tissue Doppler, activated by a single keystroke. Adding its DICOM functionality for network communication or its easy to share MPEGvue feature only adds to its versatility, say those who have previewed the system.

"The Vivid e enables us to complete a comprehensive hemodynamic echocardiogram with each stress test in the clinic," said Dr. Homevar Dinshaw, Cardiologist with Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans. "The 2D and Tissue Doppler images are excellent. The system's portability and docking cart allow us further flexibility to test in any of the clinics stress exam rooms."

"The vascular performance is impressive, and every bit as good as one of our console systems," added Darena Cummings, Sonographer with Radiology Regional Center, Cape Coral, FL. "With its compound imaging and Coded Harmonics, the vascular images are easier to obtain. In color flow, the vessels jump out at you, with very little work."

According to Omar Ishrak, the president and CEO of GE Healthcare's Clinical Systems business with more than 20 years in ultrasound technology development and leader of GE's ultrasound division since 1995, "GE's clinical partnerships, technology leadership and continuous investment in ultrasound allow us to invite healthcare's top physicians 'to the drawing board' to re-imagine ultrasound. Together, we're developing innovative ultrasound systems to help address some of today's most pressing healthcare issues such as improving access to quality care in rural communities and developing regions of the world and, in developed regions, shifting to an 'early health' model where technologies such as ultrasound can be used to help detect diseases earlier when they can be more effectively treated."

GE's breakthrough Vivid e and Vivid 7 Dimension are now available for sale with shipment anticipated by year-end.

About Ge Healthcare's Ultrasound Business

GE Healthcare is the world's leading provider of ultrasound systems, information technologies and service solutions. Each year, healthcare providers rely on GE's LOGIQ, Vivid and Voluson ultrasound systems to perform more than 30 million patient exams worldwide. GE applies more than 25 years of experience and a commitment to advancing ultrasound's role in patient care. For more information, please visit our Web site at http://www.gehealthcare.com/ultrasound.

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, performance improvement, drug discovery, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies is helping clinicians around the world re-imagine new ways to predict, diagnose, inform, treat and monitor disease, so patients can live their lives to the fullest.

GE Healthcare's broad range of products and services enable healthcare providers to better diagnose and treat cancer, heart disease, neurological diseases and other conditions earlier. Our vision for the future is to enable a new "early health" model of care focused on earlier diagnosis, pre-symptomatic disease detection and disease prevention. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a $17 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 46,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries.

http://www.gehealthcare.com