Improved Efficiency in Routine Echocardiography Exams

FEATURING a number of innovative workflow solutions, a newly launched volume imaging ultrasound equipment offers a complete 2D and volume echocardiography system that-on top of excellent imaging performance-offers one-of-a-kind workflow improvements in conventional and real-time volumetric echocardiography. The 1.5 release of Acuson SC2000 system, which was introduced by Siemens Healthcare at the congress of the European Society of Cardiology in Stockholm, Sweden in August, features the eSie Measure Workflow Acceleration package. This unique device is the first application in the industry to provide fully automated measurements for routine echo exams. "Manual measurements account for a large portion of the echo exam time and require a lot of time-consuming repetitive key strokes," said Dr. Norbert Gaus, CEO, Ultrasound, Siemens Healthcare. "The eSie Measure functionality on the Acuson SC2000 system increases workflow efficiency, the reproducibility and quality of each exam, while also addressing the issue of repetitive stress injuries in sonographers." Streamlined, Complete Exams To streamline exam workflows both on the user level and in the entire lab, the Acuson SC2000 system offers eSieScan workflow protocols, which bring higher reproducibility and quality standards to the echocardiography workflow. Customisable according to user or department requirements, eSieScan workflow protocols dramatically reduce the need for user interaction and the number of keystrokes during the imaging process. "The Acuson SC2000 system's workflow protocols enable our customers to decrease scan time by 10 to 15 minutes per patient," said Gaus. "This will increase consistency of results and ensure that exams are complete." Superior Image Quality for a Comprehensive Transducer Suite IN Focus coherent imaging enables the user to focus on the entire field of view instead of a single focal zone. By using the power of 64 parallel receive beams, this technology dramatically improves image quality at all depths without any user intervention to ideally display the cardiac structure and motion for superior diagnostic volumetric imaging. IN Focus technology drives the imaging power of the 4Z1, 4V1 and the V5M transducer. Expanding its application versatility, the Acuson SC2000 system now features a new 5 MHz transesophageal probe, which is interchangeable with other Siemens ultrasound platforms to ensure maximum return on investment. Volumetric Imaging Siemens' Echo in a Heartbeat technology delivers vastly more diagnostic information than today's conventional systems. Easily integrated into a routine adult echocardiography exam, it enables new workflow pathways to improve diagnostic efficiency. Non-stitched, real-time full-volume imaging provides wider access to patients and captures true physiologic information, including color flow and accurate volume quantification for the left and right ventricles. In addition, the system features the Rapid Stress volume stress echo application, with full-volume acquisition in one single heartbeat per stage and auto-extraction of reference planes for comparison. The resulting volume stress workflow enables the only volume stress echo solution for patients with arrhythmia. Consequently, faster acquisition time and comprehensive review of all wall segments in one single capture leads to potentially improved accuracy and time savings. Knowledge-Based Workflow Applications Siemens also showcased various platforms of its unique knowledge-based workflow applications, which are designed to automate measurements for rapid, accurate and reproducible results. syngo Velocity Vector Imaging (VVI) technology uses individual vectors to display direction and relative velocity of tissue from frame to frame to instantaneously measure motion at any point in the cardiac cycle. This unique visual representation of cardiac contraAir Jordan XX9 Low