FAIRFIELD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 7, 2003--From the first X-ray machine developed in 1896 to the latest 4D Ultrasound technology developed in 2002, GE has dedicated over a century of research and resources to developing new and improved healthcare technologies that allow physicians to provide better care for their patients. In this edition of GE Global Research's Innovation Update, we highlight some of the company's most recent "Healthcare Innovations."
Nation's First All-Digital Heart Hospital Uses Information Technology To Battle Heart Disease
An important step in the battle against America's number-one killer, heart disease, will be completed in February 2003 with the opening of the first all-digital heart hospital in Indianapolis. Combining two important trends in healthcare -- specialized medicine and an unprecedented use of information technology -- The Indiana Heart Hospital will provide patients with an unmatched level of care. This brand-new, $60 million facility will feature the latest heart-care monitoring, diagnostic, and imaging technologies in a virtually paper- and film-less environment. The hospital will function with complete, up-to-date, fully electronic patient records that physicians can view instantly with the touch of a button, both on and off hospital grounds.
The all-digital workflow was designed through a partnership between hospital staff and GE Medical Systems. It features the GE Centricity(TM) Information System which integrates a patient's complete medical files -- including images, test results and medical history -- into a single electronic record that can be continually accessed and updated throughout a patient's lifetime.
This unique environment will allow caregivers to provide safer, more immediate care and spend more time with patients with cardiovascular disease.
GE's e-Speed CT System Provides Significant Advancements In Cardiac Imaging Capabilities
Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of Americans, but until now, it's been very difficult to diagnose without an invasive procedure -- especially in patients with little or no history of heart attacks. GE's new e-Speed(TM) electron beam tomography (EBT(TM)) scanner, just cleared for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), allows physicians to clearly and quickly monitor a patient's heart's wall motion, blood flow and perfusion, as well as measure coronary calcification and assess plaque, without an invasive procedure. Previously, the only effective ways to determine blockage were invasive, time-consuming procedures, including cardiac catheterization.
The e-Speed is also an important technology for patients with known or suspected heart disease, because it provides them with a non-invasive solution for obtaining critical cardiac diagnosis in less than 15 minutes, remarkably faster than the alternative.
GE Joins Fight Against Alzheimer's Disease With New Early Detection Technology
Recently, GE Global Research joined forces with Albany Medical Center to open the Neurosciences Advanced Imaging Research Center, a state-of-the-art facility designed to aid scientists and researchers in the discovery of new techniques to diagnose Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Located in Albany, NY, researchers at the center are focusing their efforts on identifying the biological changes that occur within brain cells of Alzheimer's patients. This technology, a form of molecular imaging, involves developing smart molecules that seek out and highlight specific biological processes so they are visible through state-of-the-art medical imaging technology, such as the new GE 3.0T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). By seeing and analyzing these biological processes, scientists hope to connect certain biological changes in the brain with the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
The goal for the Neurosciences Advanced Imaging Research Center is to develop a viable methodology for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in patients early enough to allow for the possibility of treatment. Scientists also believe that if they are able to use molecular imaging to diagnose the disease, they will be able to use the same technology to evaluate the effectiveness of current and future pharmaceutical therapies.
GE's Innova 4100 Provides Alternative To Surgery
According to The Society of Interventional Radiology, 4 million patients will undergo interventional radiology procedures as an alternative to traditional surgery this year. To assist this growing number of people, GE recently introduced the Innova 4100, a medical imaging device that allows doctors to see clearly inside a patient with digital real-time imaging while guiding catheters and other medical devices to areas of the body needing treatment. Patients suffering from medical disorders including peripheral vascular, cardiovascular and neurological diseases, uterine fibroids, will greatly benefit from the lack of invasive procedures through a significant reduction in the risk, pain and recovery time associated with surgery, as well as lowering medical expenses.
For more information on these announcements and other information about GE Global Research, please contact Jim Healy at (518) 387-6284/[email protected] or Amanda Hamilton at (212) 931-6131/[email protected].
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CONTACT:
GE Global Research
Jim Healy, 518/387-6284
or
Amanda Hamilton, 212/931-6131