Realizing the Benefits of Truly Integrated Innova IVUS Technology

Advanced Integrated IVUS Technology
Often referred to as “South Carolina’s Heart Hospital,” Providence Heart Institute’s staff has performed more heart procedures in the state of South Carolina than any other medical team — nearly 1,000 open-heart surgeries each year. In 2005, the center completed 7,000 cardiac catheterizations. As a regional leader in cardiovascular care, Providence Heart Institute is no stranger to providing the most advanced cardiac care by offering the latest in new technology.
The Heart Institute was one of the first centers to introduce minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB), “off-pump” or “beating heart” surgery and drug-eluting stents. Following these firsts is the utilization of Innova IVUS, GE Healthcare’s custom integration of the Volcano s5i IVUS imaging system with the best-in-class Innova all-digital X-ray cath lab imaging system.
“We use IVUS frequently on any given day in our clinical practice; the benefits are quite clear. It provides information that we simply can’t get from other technologies, such as lesion and vessel morphology, and the ability to view angiographically ambiguous disease,” said Patrick Hall, M.D., interventional cardiologist at Providence Heart Institute.
Busy labs require technology that does not impede traffic or workflow as well as the ability to electronically capture patient data. Innova IVUS not only solves these issues but also brings the latest IVUS technology right to the fingertips of the interventionalist through the Innova Central tableside touchscreen. Data exchange between the Volcano IVUS system and Innova allows for automatic patient data transfer from Innova to the IVUS unit and advanced archiving that links IVUS cases to cath cases.
Reducing Procedure Time While Improving Patient Care
Today at Providence Heart Institute, the easy-to-use Innova IVUS is enhancing patient care, while reducing procedure time. As the industry’s only truly integrated IVUS solution, Innova IVUS optimizes clinical workflow by offering IVUS controls on the Innova Central bedside touchscreen.
“By virtue of the Innova IVUS being always on and always available, I can use it on any patient at a moment’s notice,” said Michael Foster, M.D., interventional cardiologist. “When you have a catheterized patient on the table, you need your diagnostic and therapeutic tools ready. Many times it’s just not an option to ask the staff to roll in the stand-alone IVUS, turn it on and wait for it to boot up.”
Volcano’s s5i product uses a new PC-based platform that reduces the size, weight and noise of the older generation IVUS consoles. This allows the unit to be located in the control room or in other areas outside of the daily traffic pattern of the cath lab. Clinicians have the ability to control the IVUS system through a variety of control devices located at the patient bedside, at the point of care, or both, as well as the flexibility to view IVUS images on the existing monitor bank, a separate dedicated IVUS monitor, and/or on a monitor in the control room.
Simplicity and ease of use also exist on the back-end. Data exchange between the IVUS system and Innova allows for automatic patient data transfer from Innova for IVUS cases and advanced archiving that links IVUS cases to cath cases. Also, when archived on Centricity PACS, the IVUS will automatically be stored as a sub-study of the angio. This provides a more logical archiving method and makes retrieving an IVUS study much easier and faster.
Upon completing system installation, the GE clinical team worked closely with the staff at Providence Heart Institute to perform a timed trial comparing total procedure time with the Innova IVUS integrated system versus the stand-alone system. Results from the study highlight the speed and ease of use of the integrated solution, further validating the clinical and workflow benefits realized during integrated Innova IVUS procedures.
The study measured various parameters during interventional coronary IVUS cases performed by Drs. Hall and Foster. Total IVUS procedure time was recorded for 50 cases performed on both the integrated and nonintegrated systems (accounting for user variability and complexity of each case), utilizing IVUS technology on both types of systems.
Overall IVUS Procedure Time Reduced by Up to 40 Percent
Results from the study showed that the utilization of the integrated Innova IVUS system reduced total IVUS procedure time by up to 40 percent and reduced the number of steps in performing a typical IVUS procedure from nine to two.
Not only does Innova IVUS reduce preparation time, but both Drs. Foster and Hall also spent less time performing the IVUS procedure with Volcano’s advanced user-friendly technology. Average time saved between the stand-alone system and the integrated GE/Volcano system was two minutes and 30 seconds, of an average total procedure time of six minutes.
Thanks to Innova IVUS, Providence Heart Institute is equipping interventionalists with detailed tissue characterization and precise data analysis during the procedure, further increasing the quality of care.