Royal Philips has introduced a cardiovascular ultrasound system specifically designed to increase diagnostic confidence and simplify workflow for clinicians.
Built on the EPIQ ultrasound platform, the initial response to the EPIQ CVx is system has been overwhelmingly positive: 95% of a group of clinicians who were shown the system believed it offered improved image quality, with sharper and clearer images.
Philips is also introducing the EPIQ CVxi, specifically tailored for use in the interventional lab. EPIQ CVx and EPIQ CVxi are CE marked and have received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Analysing foetal and paediatric anatomical structures requires an approach that accounts for the size and complexity of the patient,” said John Simpson, professor of paediatric and foetal cardiology at Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
“I've used the EPIQ CVx cardiovascular ultrasound system as part of a paediatric or foetal assessment to help make accurate diagnoses with confidence. This includes enhanced imaging of the coronary arteries which is challenging but necessary to plan treatment, particularly in the paediatric setting."
“Cardiologists face unique and growing challenges in cardiac imaging. Approximately 422 million people around the world suffer from cardiovascular disease, and as pressures on healthcare systems around the world continue to increase, clinicians have more patients to examine in less time,” said David Handler, vice president and general manager of Global Cardiology Ultrasound.
“With Philips EPIQ CVx, clinicians can perform fast and consistent exams with enhanced diagnostic information, giving them the confidence to provide exceptional care for all patients, including paediatric patients, whose small hearts can be challenging to image.”
According to Royal Philips, EPIQ CVx includes high processing power, exceptional image clarity and sharpness, improved exam efficiencies and more robust and reproducible quantification, enabled by anatomical intelligence. The EPIQ CVx includes TrueVue, giving clinicians the ability to see photorealistic renderings of the heart, which is designed to improve cardiac anatomy analysis by offering detailed tissue and depth perception imaging through a new virtual light source. The system provides cardiologists with high image quality through its new latest generation OLED monitor, offering a more dynamic, wider viewing angle for side-by-side image comparison.
Additional features include Dynamic Heart Model. Building on Philips HeartModelA.I., it uses anatomical intelligence to automatically quantify left ventricle function to produce a multi-beat analysis for adult patients. Dynamic Heart Model has been shown to reduce the amount of time to generate a 3D Ejection Fraction, an important measurement in determining how well the heart is pumping out blood, by 83%.
The systems also includes the new S9-2 PureWave Transducer, which simplifies paediatric cardiac exams by displaying high levels of detail and contrast resolution through the single-crystal technology. It also provides tissue information at greater depths and enhances paediatric capability for coronary artery visualisation.
A cardiology-specific user interface is said to simplify the exam experience through a user-configurable touch-screen interface, allowing clinicians to personalise their controls and improve workflow for their cardiology exams.
