New compact series of clinically specialized systems to expand role of ultrasound in healthcare
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13, 2006 - GE, the world's leading ultrasound company, is introducing five new clinically specialized ultrasound systems -- the Vivid i, Vivid e, Voluson i, Voluson e and LOGIQ e -- to address the growing demand in India for sophisticated, real-time imaging at the point of care. GE's Compact Series is a new and revolutionary line of ultrasound products that places the power and imaging capabilities of a high-performance, 400-pound system into a laptop-size design.
With the introduction of its Compact Series, GE expects to double its compact ultrasound business in India. Wipro GE Healthcare pioneered manufacturing of ultrasound systems in India in 1991 with a series of B&W ultrasound systems. Wipro GE has designed and developed a series of ultrasound systems in India including LOGIQ 3, Portable LOGIQ 100 etc. which are exported worldwide.
According to V Raja, President & CEO, GE Healthcare South Asia & Managing Director, Wipro GE Healthcare, "Our compact ultrasound systems addresses one of the biggest challenges physicians face in caring for their patients -- access to complete, real-time information. Our new compact ultrasound range has a price point and a sophistication level that is very helpful in countries like India. The applications are very exciting because with portability we are now able to conduct the diagnosis at the point of care while producing the same image quality as the earlier high-performance 400-pound systems. These systems have tremendous applications potential in emergency care, sports medicine and also for rural applications where patients are unable to make it to the hospital or clinic."
Ganesh Prasad, Vice President, Clinical Systems, Wipro GE Healthcare said that miniaturization was the first step in bringing basic ultrasound to the point-of-care. "Until now, the broad adoption of compact ultrasound has been hindered by image quality limitations and the industry's 'one size fits all' approach to compact system design," Prasad said. "By working with physicians from a wide-range of medical specialties, we've learned that image quality, portability and clinical specialization are all essential to expanding ultrasound's role in healthcare. We've developed our new Compact Series to address these needs and bring the benefits of ultrasound to virtually all clinicians and patients -- creating a pathway for ultrasound to become as ubiquitous in patient care as the stethoscope is today."
GE has set a new threshold for compact ultrasound imaging performance, according to physicians who have previewed the new systems.
The LOGIQ e is a sophisticated ultrasound scanner, the size of a laptop computer. It is a general purpose ultrasound system, which is uniquely designed with the speed requirements and imaging applications to support real-time clinical decisions in emergency or surgical settings. The LOGIQ e incorporates the latest medical imaging analysis software technology developed by GE Healthcare: high-precision imagery, anomaly detection aid functionalities, tissue differentiation and multi-plan displays.
The Vivid i is a compact cardiovascular ultrasound system. The mobility of Vivid i will enable physicians to deliver care to the patient wherever it's needed. Vivid i will enhance the efficiency and reach of physicians by offering the functionality and high performance of full-featured, larger-scale systems -- but in a compact and wireless design that weighs 30 times less. The system makes it possible for patients to receive diagnostic exams anywhere, including bedside, as opposed being transported to an imaging lab in a hospital or in rural areas. Vivid i's portability also makes it ideal for urgent care areas, including the operating room, critical care, and for mobile imaging services and outpatient clinics.
In addition, Vivid i features wireless capabilities, enabling physicians to transfer files instantly from the system to other physicians for consultation. As a result, physicians will be able to more quickly diagnose and treat patients and help ensure their patients are more informed and involved in their healthcare decisions. Vivid i is transforming the way heart disease is detected, diagnosed and managed worldwide.
Quality and real time diagnosis is extremely important during the "golden hour" to save a patient's life. Vivid e's high end imaging capability is extremely valuable in such conditions.
Voluson series is the world's first and only 4D compact ultrasound system designed specifically for women's healthcare, including breast, obstetric, gynecological, and other clinical applications. Voluson i will help enhance the efficiency and reach of clinicians by offering the functionality and high performance of a console-size ultrasound system in a portable design that weighs slightly more than the average newborn. This benefit, coupled with the system's ease-of-use, enables facilities of all sizes to offer 4D imaging as the standard of care for prenatal women and the unborn child. The portability of the Voluson i also makes it ideal for community and rural clinics, as well as mobile imaging services. Voluson series, an innovative new 4D transvaginal probe, significantly improves diagnostic confidence in complete GYN exams.
"These innovative ultrasound systems will help address some of today's most pressing healthcare issues such as improving access to quality care in rural communities and 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," added Prasad.
As a responsible company, GE Healthcare takes every possible step to ensure full compliance with every legal requirement regarding the sale of its equipment in India and is deeply committed to promoting the continued responsible, legal and safe use of its equipment in India.
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 and treat disease, so their 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 $15 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 43,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.
Purnima SahniMohanty
GE Corporate Manager - Communications
[email protected]
+91-11-41555303