July 15, 2011 — Attendees at the 2011 annual scientific meeting of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT), July 14-17 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, will learn how Siemens Healthcare facilitates “Sustainable Cardiovascular Care” through its portfolio of products and services, including the Somatom Definition Flash CT scanner and syngo.via imaging software.
Additionally, Siemens will again sponsor SCCT symposiums and sessions, where leading cardiologists will share the latest findings in high-end cardiac computed tomography (CT) and detail how the company’s new technology platform FAST CARE – Fully Assisting Scanner Technologies and Combined Applications to Reduce Exposure – enables faster, more efficient CT examinations while keeping patient radiation dose as low as possible.
Definition Flash?
The ability to acquire full-volume cardiac images within a quarter of a second via dual-source CT (DSCT) has made the Somatom Definition Flash a valued tool for cardiac imaging in recent years. Its accelerated acquisition speed facilitates a 75 millisecond temporal resolution and a dose reduction to less than one millisievert (mSv) using the Flash Cardiac scan mode. DSCT allows cardiologists to scan any patient with a high or irregular heartbeat, in some cases eliminating the use of beta blockers to slow the heart rate.
The low-dose scanning potential of the Somatom scanner may also benefit patients with transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) – a minimally invasive therapy for valvular heart disease that links implantation of an artificial heart valve with a balloon dilatation in a catheter laboratory. Some cardiologists have been using the Somatom to assist them with planning the TAVI procedure.
To underscore the low dosage and drive its theme of sustainable cardiovascular care, the Siemens booth will showcase its Worldwide Dose Counter website, which records live statistics regarding the dose of each cardiac scan from a Somatom scanner. Information includes the average scan dose in mSv, the total number of scans performed worldwide, and the total number of mSv saved using Siemens’ low-dose technology. To date, more than 51,000 cardiac scans have been performed using Flash technology, with an average dose of .84 mSv.
FAST CARE
Available on the Somatom Definition Flash and with the Somatom Definition AS line of products, FAST CARE technology accelerates workflow and lowers radiation exposure, allowing facilities to potentially reach new heights of patient-centric productivity. FAST enhances process workflow, enabling faster, more intuitive procedures, while CARE supports new dose reduction technologies that, particularly for children, comfort parents and inspire confidence in physicians. Together with syngo.via, FAST CARE streamlines the entire cardiac examination, ensuring a reliable diagnosis with minimal patient burden.
syngo.via cardiovascular engine
Siemens also will highlight its syngo.via-based cardiovascular engine (InSpace), which offers fast anatomical evaluation, quantification and functional assessment of CT angiography images of the heart or peripheral blood vessels while enabling manual interactions at any time. The software isolates the heart and applies the physician’s preferred reading layout and evaluation tools. syngo.via also automatically queries archives and databases for additional image data of the same patient. The Findings Navigator collects data findings, enables easy sharing of the results, and helps eliminate unnecessary repeat imaging.
For more information: www.siemens.com/healthcare
July 16, 2024 
