Digital Radiography Technology Improves Patient Care and Departmental Workflow

A new mixed detector digital radiography (DR) system's patient-focused design enables healthcare facilities to automate X-ray examinations, improving patient care and enhancing departmental workflow.

Toshiba Medical Systems (Tokyo, Japan) an industry leader in X-ray technology, reached a significant milestone in installing its 100th Radrex-i X-ray system worldwide at Aurora Health Care's (Milwaukee, WI, USA) newly opened Aurora Wilkinson Clinic (Oconomowoc, WI, USA). Toshiba presented the Radrex-i mixed detector DR system at the 2009's Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting, held in Chicago, IL, USA, November 29-December 4, 2009.

In total, Aurora Health Care has purchased four Toshiba Radrex-i DR systems. Three of the Radrex-i systems are used at its newly opened Aurora Wilkinson Clinic located on the Aurora Summit Medical Center campus in Oconomowoc, WI, USA. One system is used for general radiology, and another is used for chest imaging. The third system, which includes autostitching capabilities, is used for orthopedic work, including long-leg and scoliosis studies. The fourth Radrex-i system will be installed in the new hospital emergency department (ED) being built at Aurora Summit Medical Center, near the clinic. This hospital is scheduled to open in Spring 2010.

"We purchased the Radrex-i to help reduce radiation exposure, while also improving patient throughput and workflow at our high-volume Aurora Wilkinson Clinic,” explained Jay Lundberg, manager of capital equipment technology, Aurora Health Care. "The orthopedic department at the clinic is very busy, and the Radrex-i is already helping to image patients safely and quickly with outstanding image quality.”

The Radrx-i mixed detector system utilizes two high-resolution detectors, a 43-cm x 43-cm fixed detector located in the tilting wall stand and a 35.5-cm x 43-cm removable detector in the table, to provide dual detector performance with portable detector flexibility. The mixed detector system is engineered to dramatically increase room utilization and overall operational efficiency, with the portable system completing the work of two rooms in only one. The flexibility of the mixed detector solution also provides leading healthcare providers, such as Aurora Health Care, with the suitable configuration for any challenge a radiology department may face.

The comprehensive Radrex-i features a table with 272 kg weight limit, a 600 kHU X-ray tube, and an 80 kW generator, allowing hospitals to image a variety of patients, including bariatric patients. The X-ray system enhances workflow with the RexView, a color liquid crystal display (LCD) screen located on the overhead tube crane (OTC), allowing technologists immediate access to review the image and determine if they have what is needed for diagnosis.

The system's automated features also save time by automating the technologists' selection of the right exam and quick positioning of the X-ray system. These features include: (1) auto-tracking to eliminate the need to manually position the X-ray tube detector by providing synchronization for table and wall-stand tracking; (2) auto-collimation to save crucial time for the patient and technologist by automatically selecting the correct collimation size for the patient's body part; (3) auto-program to eliminate the need for the technologist to manually select the program on the generator by automatically selecting the correct program; (4) lastly, an auto-center-stop to provide visual guidance for fast, simple detector centering.

"The 100th installation of the Radrex-i worldwide is a testament to the patient-focused design and the system's ability to improve patient outcomes and enhance technologist efficiency,” said Robert Micer, director, X-ray vascular business unit, Toshiba. "With a full set of automated features, the Radrex-i system allows healthcare facilities the ability to perform more exams involving a wider range of applications.”

Related Links:
Toshiba Medical Systems
Aurora Health Care