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9/10/2004
MOBILE, Ala., (September 9, 2004) - Cardiology Associates, a 25-physician cardiology group in Mobile, Alabama is pleased to announce a partnership with GE Healthcare to bring the newest development in CT technology to patients along the Gulf Coast. Cardiology Associates has agreed to acquire the first 64-slice Volume Computed Tomography (VCT) scanner to be placed in a private medical practice in the United States.
GE Healthcare's LightSpeed® VCT has the potential to transform the way physicians are able to diagnose and treat heart disease and other life-threatening illnesses. LightSpeed VCT is able to non-invasively view any organ in one second, scan the whole body in less than 10 seconds, and capture images of the heart and coronary arteries in fewer than five heartbeats, something no other CT system can offer.
In a single rotation, the system creates 64 images, each credit card-thin, totaling 40 millimeters of anatomical coverage. These images are combined to form a three-dimensional view of the patient’s anatomy for the physician to analyze. From these images, physicians will be able to view developing blockages or total blockages in the coronary arteries leading to
the heart as well as the motion and pumping action of the heart.
Through collaboration with thought leaders on CT around the world, GE Healthcare has identified opportunities for new and improved diagnostic applications for the LightSpeed VCT, based on its coverage, speed and resolution capabilities.
5-Beat Cardiac™ - Heart motion has historically made CT cardiovascular scans challenging and prone to poor resolution. The LightSpeed VCT will enable physicians to secure extremely high-quality images of coronaries at submillimeter resolution in only five beats of the heart. This capability will potentially make diagnostic evaluation of blockages in the arteries of the heart faster and less invasive than during cardiac catheterization.
Triple RuleOut™ - Patients presenting with chest pain may be able to be diagnostically scanned quickly and non-invasively, using the LightSpeed VCT, for evidence of heart attack, pulmonary embolism or aortic dissection, the three most life-threatening causes of chest pain, all in one single scan. A doctor’s ability to identify the cause of chest pain and eliminate unnecessary hospital stays and missed diagnoses is invaluable.
With completion of the agreement with GE, Cardiology Associates now begins the process of Accreditation and training for its physicians, construction of space for the equipment and training of nurses and staff on the new technology. Installation of the LightSpeed VCT scanner and utilization with patients is expected in March 2005.
LightSpeed® is a registered trademark of GE Healthcare
5-Beat Cardiac™ and Triple RuleOut™ are trademarks of GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies that will shape a new age of patient care. GE Healthcare's expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, disease research, drug discovery and biopharmaceuticals is dedicated to detecting disease earlier and tailoring treatment for individual patients. GE Healthcare offers a broad range of services to improve productivity in healthcare and enable healthcare providers to better diagnose, treat and manage patients with conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer's and cardiovascular diseases. GE Healthcare is a $14 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) that is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 42,500 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.
Cardiology Associates is a 25-physician group providing coordinated and integrated comprehensive heart services including pediatric cardiology, adult clinical, invasive and interventio
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