Agfa HealthCare continues its journey to drive X-ray dose lower

Results confirm Agfa HealthCare’s strong commitment to providing solutions that support caregivers in enhancing patient health and welfare

  • Press release
  • Mortsel, Belgium
  • October 30, 2014 2:00 PM CET

- Agfa HealthCare has received FDA clearance for its digital radiography (CR and DR) Cesium-based detectors - Use of Cesium-based detectors with Agfa HealthCare CR and DR products allowing dose reduction up to 60%*, which is especially important in neonatal and pediatric environments. - Since the introduction of the first Cesium-based detectors in 2005, more than 60 million patients globally have benefitted from the dose reduction potential that these detectors provide. - As part of the promotional Fast Forward program, which allows customers to easily upgrade from traditional CR to Cesium-based CR or DR; more than 125,000 patients have been examined with a dose reduction potential of up to 60%* the past two months. - Agfa HealthCare’s dose reduction initiative contributes to radiation protection programs like Image Gently and Eurosafe.

(RSNA 2014, Booth #4708, South Hall) Agfa HealthCare announces today that it has received FDA clearance for it's DXD Imaging package, which offers dose reduction potential using Cesium Bromide (CsBr) needle-based image plates (NIP) and Cesium Iodide direct radiography (DR) solutions, dose reduction for all digital radiography applications**, including neonatal and pediatric.

Up to 60%* dose reduction in pediatric and neonatal imaging
The ability to manage radiation dose takes on a special significance in neonatal and pediatric healthcare because premature infants may go through as many as 30-40 examinations during treatment. Agfa HealthCare’s Cesium-based detectors allow a dose reduction of up to 60%* for neonatal and pediatric examinations. All cassette sizes are available, including one that fits easily into neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) incubators.
“Reducing radiation dose is a key objective for care providers globally, and Agfa HealthCare has long demonstrated its commitment to developing ways to help hospitals achieve these goals,” comments Louis Kuitenbrouwer, Vice President Imaging at Agfa HealthCare. “This is a subject that touches all of us, and an area in which Agfa HealthCare can make a big difference.”

A path to the future with Fast Forward
Already, Cesium-based detectors have been used in examinations for over 60 million people around the world, giving them the opportunity to experience the dose reduction benefits.

With the launch of Agfa HealthCare’s Fast Forward program, hospitals can now easily upgrade from traditional CR to Cesium-based CR or DR, extending the potential for dose reduction to more than 100,000 patients each month. The benefits of fast forwarding radiography technology are already being felt by hospitals, with the new program experiencing concrete success at facilities including Loma Linda University Medical Center (CA) and Summa Health System (OH).

Delivering on dose reduction promises
Zwanger-Pesiri, one of the largest non-hospital based radiology practices in the USA today, conducted its own study to verify the dose reduction capabilities of Agfa HealthCare’s solution. The study aimed to determine whether Agfa HealthCare’s DX-D 300 DR system required less exposure and patient dose compared to two other systems in use at Zwanger-Pesiri. The results showed that, while the amount of dose reduction varied depending on the type of exam, the average dose in most cases was more than 40% lower with the Agfa HealthCare system, while still providing high quality.

“We want to ensure that any hospital or private practice that is focused on image quality can benefit from the advantages of the NIP plates,” says Louis Kuitenbrouwer. “With our Fast Forward program, hospitals can add CR with NIP to DR rooms as a backup that provides the same image quality and dose settings, and/or use a cassette-based system for special exams such as sunrise X-rays.”

Proud contributor to radiation protection initiatives such as Eurosafe & Image Gently

As a leader in medical imaging, Agfa HealthCare has taken on a key role in understanding and contributing to best practices for dose management. Agfa HealthCare teams develop new technologies and solutions that can help reduce radiation dose while delivering high-quality images on the front lines of imaging, and provide smart ways to manage dose appropriately. “We see dose management as a logical extension of our expertise, because image quality and dose are inextricably linked. So we will continue to find ways to use our technology to produce high-quality images,” concludes Louis Kuitenbrouwer.

* Testing by Agfa HealthCare with board certified Radiologists has determined that Cesium Bromide (CR) and Cesium Iodide (DR) Detectors when used with MUSICA processing can provide dose reductions of between 50 to 60% when compared to traditional Barium Fluoro Bromide CR systems. Contact Agfa HealthCare for more details.

** Not indicated for use with Mammography



Marc De Fré
Global Marcom Director
tel:+32 3444 7319
marc.defre@agfa.com

Johan Jacobs
Corporate Press Relations Manager
Septestraat 27
2640 Mortsel - Belgium
tel:+32 (0)3 444 80 15
fax:+32 (0)3 444 50 05
johan.jacobs@agfa.com