· Floor-mounted Artis one angiography system designed to address broad range of routine interventions
· ACUSON SC2000 PRIME ultrasound system enables real-time, full-volume 3D transesophageal ultrasound
· Updated syngo Dynamics boosts noninvasive and invasive cardiovascular workflows
· New syngo Ultrasound Apps Suite offline cardiology analysis package improves productivity without requiring additional hardware
At the 64th Annual Scientific Session & Expo of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), March 14-16 at the San Diego Convention Center, Siemens Healthcare will offer solutions for sustainable cardiovascular care that help ensure “More Cardiology, Less Heartache” – the theme of this year’s booth. Offering a dynamic, comprehensive portfolio of systems and support solutions ranging from imaging modalities to information technology (IT) to in vitro diagnostics, Siemens is uniquely positioned to help the cardiovascular community make informed ethical decisions, provide safer procedures, and maximize its investment in healthcare technology and IT.
Addressing wide variety of routine interventions
The Artis one angiography system is designed to address a broad range of routine interventions. Enjoying positioning flexibility similar to ceiling-mounted systems, the floor-mounted system accommodates full head-to-toe coverage of patients up to 6 feet, 10 inches without the need for patient repositioning. The Artis one’s game-changing Clearstent Live application freezes motion in the stent region, allowing the physician to mask out movement of the beating heart and place the stent in precisely the correct position. Additionally, the Artis one offers the new HeartSweep tool for cardiac imaging, which uses dual-axis rotational angiography to image the entire heart in one smooth C-arm movement. With HeartSweep, users no longer need to obtain multiple acquisitions from different projections, instead enjoying a previously unprecedented level of flexibility in controlling the sweep of the C-arm arc.
The new PURE platform for Siemens’ Artis zee®, Artis Q, and Artis Q.zen angiography systems is designed to simplify the adoption and utilization of advanced features by adding smooth use to existing smart technologies while maintaining high standards in image quality and dose reduction. For 3D acquisitions, the 3D Wizard feature enables the user to simply click on the desired resultant image type from multiple model images for each part of the body. It automatically predefines all necessary parameters – including amount and injection rate of contrast fluid, X-ray delay, and other specifications – to create a 3D image. The QuickZoom feature allows physicians to click on the point of interest on syngo DynaCT images, which is then locked automatically into the center of the image while rotating the 3D dataset or adjusting the zoom factor with a simple joystick motion. The syngo 2D/3D Fusion feature enables fusion of a preprocedural volume (computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or positron emission tomography (PET]) utilizing just two fluoroscopic images for live image guidance.
Revolutionizing 3D transesophageal ultrasound
The ACUSON SC2000™ ultrasound system PRIME enables users to perform real-time, full-volume color Doppler, 3D transesophageal ultrasound (TEE). The system provides real-time information in the OR – even on patients with arrhythmia – to support a faster, more precise surgical workflow, optimize patient outcomes, and minimize risk. Full volume color Doppler and fast, automated aortic and mitral valve measurements provided by Siemens’ eSie Valves™ quantification software allow surgeons to better visualize cardiac anatomy and assess blood flow during procedures, helping them make faster, more informed decisions.
Driving outcomes in cardiology
syngo Dynamics VA10B, the latest version of Siemens’ cardiovascular imaging and information system, boosts noninvasive and invasive cardiovascular reading and reporting workflows, allowing cardiologists to focus on clinical care rather than spend time with reporting. syngo Dynamics offers enhanced integration with Siemens Sensis™ hemodynamic monitoring system, enabling customers to benefit from a seamless workflow for cardiac catheterizations. syngo Dynamics’ proven integration capabilities optimize clinical utilization and productivity, and enable support of enterprise-wide cardiovascular care initiatives.
Siemens’ new syngo Ultrasound Apps Suite is an advanced offline cardiology analysis package integrated with an institution’s picture archiving and communications system (PACS). Seamlessly integrated with syngo Dynamics, syngo Ultrasound Apps Suite improves user productivity without requiring additional offline hardware. It includes as an offline option the one-click eSie Valves quantification software, which was introduced last fall on Siemens’ ACUSON SC2000 PRIME cardiovascular ultrasound system. eSie Valves improves diagnostic accuracy during diagnostic echo as well as valve interventions such as aortic and mitral valve repairs. Other clinical applications available on syngo Ultrasound Apps Suite include eSie LVA for automated left ventricular analysis and eSie PISA for assessment of mitral regurgitation.
Enabling CT chest imaging with no breath-hold
In cardiovascular imaging, acquisition speed is inextricably linked to image quality and subsequently a more confident diagnosis. Siemens’ SOMATOM® Force dual-source computed tomography (CT) system enables cardiac imaging in less than a single heartbeat (average at-rest heart rate is 60-100 bpm and SOMATOM Force employs a .25 sec rotation). Additionally, the system provides high temporal resolution throughout the entire image. As the data is natively measured, Siemens does not need to artificially enhance the temporal resolution. Together with the new Vectron tube and StellarInfinity detector, the SOMATOM Force facilitates freezing motion at outstanding image quality. The Vectron tube’s power reserves also allow healthcare providers to perform adult cardiac imaging at 70 kV energy levels, enabling imaging at a lower radiation dose. The SOMATOM Force is ideal for cardiac imaging due to its unique Dual Source technology and 0.25 sec rotation speed, which enables the system to image the heart in a quarter of a second. When combined with Turbo Flash Spiral and extended detector coverage (full 50 cm field of view), the SOMATOM Force can image at speeds up to 737mm/s, enabling free-breathing CT exams for a broader range of patients. In combination, these features make the SOMATOM Force ideal for detecting early signs of coronary heart disease.
Offering nuclear cardiology solutions
Nuclear cardiologists who use Siemens’ Symbia Intevo™ xSPECT1 system—the latest evolution in SPECT and CT integration—can dramatically reduce the length of imaging protocols with IQ-SPECT, a field-upgradeable hardware and software combination that enables the reduction of imaging time from 16 minutes to 4 minutes, or up to 75% less injected dose.2 These shortened exams allow a sustainable approach to nuclear cardiology that enables improved acquisition time and reduced patient dose without compromising high-quality diagnostic information.
Siemens’ Biograph mCT Flow™1 positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT) system helps assess coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart damage as well as differentiate healthy muscle from damaged muscle.1 Biograph mCT Flow provides automated, rigid registration of CT and PET during cardiac imaging. A proprietary algorithm identifies the heart and aligns the two images for optimal attenuation correction, improving workflow and reducing user variability. The system allows the user to verify PET/CT registration accuracy in either patient (transverse/sagittal/coronal) or cardiac (SA/VLA/HLA) orientation. Biograph mCT Flow helps the user automatically detect respiratory motion during cardiac studies, enabling dual-gated PET with cardiac-gated list mode acquisition for optimal motion-frozen imaging, offline histogramming, and reconstruction.
Optimizing cardiac workflow with Dot
Siemens developed the Cardiac Dot® (Day optimizing throughput) Engine to reduce the complexity of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to increase productivity by guiding the user through cardiac exams. With a few mouse clicks, the Cardiac Dot Engine automatically selects customized protocols based on the patient’s clinical condition. Through user guidance, patient personalization, and exam automation provided by Cardiac Dot workflow technology, users can increase productivity in the healthcare setting as much as 50 percent.3
Providing quantitative cardiac assays
A comprehensive portfolio of assays such as cTnI, BNP, NT-proBNP, and CardioPhase® hsCRP helps manage patients throughout the continuum of cardiovascular disease. Siemens offers troponin testing on several of its core testing platforms, including ADVIA Centaur® systems, Dimension Vista® systems, and Dimension® EXL™ systems, and provides consistent results by offering true clinical concordance between the point of care and central laboratory for guideline-compliant sensitive cardiac troponin. The Stratus® CS Acute Care™ Diagnostics System provides quantitative cardiac assays for fast, accurate evaluation of patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) at the point of care. These assays include the Stratus® CS Acute Care™ Troponin I method (cTnl),4 which, by helping to improve the diagnostic accuracy and rapid detection of AMI, facilitates earlier detection of myocardial injury, enabling more rapid diagnosis and faster initiation of appropriate therapy.
Contact for journalists
Jeff Bell
Siemens Healthcare
Phone: (610) 448-1477; E-mail: jeffrey.t.bell@siemens.com
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Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world's largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is No. 1 in offshore wind turbine construction, a leading supplier of combined cycle turbines for power generation, a major provider of power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2014, which ended on September 30, 2014, Siemens generated revenue from continuing operations of €71.9 billion and net income of €5.5 billion. At the end of September 2014, the company had around 357,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at http://www.siemens.com.
