Retrofit Enables Cost-Effective Upgrade of Existing Mobile X-Ray Systems to Direct Radiography

Agfa HealthCare (Mortsel, Belgium; www.agfahealthcare.com) reported on the North American launch of its DX-D mobile retrofit solution that will allow hospitals an easy and affordable way to upgrade existing GE Healthcare (Chalfont St. Giles, UK) AMX 4 and 4 plus mobile X-ray systems to direct radiography (DR).

The DX-D mobile retrofit allows healthcare facilities using mobile X-ray systems to maximize the use of their existing equipment by upgrading to DR instead of undergoing the costly process of replacing their GE AMX analog units with DR units. The technology includes the choice of Agfa HealthCare’s wireless, cesium iodide (CsI) DX-D 30C or DX-D 35C detector, the mobile retrofit box, an all-in-one personal computer (PC) with intuitive MUSICA (multi-scale image contrast amplification) workflow, and Agfa HealthCare’s patented MUSICA image-processing software.

“We’re excited to add a GE AMX Retrofit solution to our robust set of DR products, which also includes our premier retrofit product, the DX-D Retrofit, to convert X-ray rooms to digital,” said Ueli Laupper, DR business director, Agfa HealthCare North America. “This product is designed to bring the same easy and affordable upgrade benefits of the DX-D Retrofit to GE AMX customers so that they can fully transition all of their X-ray technologies from CR to DR.”

The DX-D Mobile Retrofit for the GE AMX provides all of the benefits of DR in a mobile solution. Agfa HealthCare’s DR technologies have been shown to improve workflow and efficiency by speeding up exam time. The radiologist is able to view the X-ray image seconds after the exposure is made, eliminating the need for time consuming processing of medical screen film cassettes. X-ray images captured with the newly installed DR systems are immediately available for review and can easily be transferred and stored to the patient’s electronic health record (EHR).

The noninvasive installation of the Agfa HealthCare retrofit system for the GE AMX connects to the hand-switch connector, posing no risk to the mobile X-ray modality. The independent battery power supply for the components offers approximately four hours of autonomy, and the wireless panels can be shared with other fixed or mobile Agfa HealthCare DR solutions, for additional costs savings.

“For hospitals that want to upgrade a set of mobile X-ray units from analog to DR, the costs to purchase, install and train staff on new units can be overwhelming,” commented Ueli Laupper. Agfa HealthCare’s retrofit solution for the GE AMX is able to noninvasively upgrade a mobile unit without changing the existing functionality. Because of this, installation is fast, cost effective, and very little training on new features is necessary. Hospitals can be up and running with their new mobile DR units in a short timeframe.”

Agfa HealthCare’s patented MUSICA image-processing software, moreover, is automatically installed with each system to provide consistent image quality and excellent contrast detail. MUSICA automatically optimizes images to achieve greater details.

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Agfa HealthCare
GE Healthcare