Carestream Health has announced an affordable new retrofit system that allows small to mid-size hospitals, urgent care centers, orthopedic offices, and clinics to upgrade existing rooms or mobile x-ray systems from film or CR to fully featured digital radiography (DR). The Carestream Pro Retrofit system is currently available for order in most countries and began shipping in November 2015.
According to the company, the flexible retrofit system is designed to enable healthcare providers to convert existing x-ray systems to a DR system at a reasonable cost, and to allow facilities across the world to achieve higher image quality and gain rapid image access for enhanced patient care and productivity.
The Pro Retrofit system has gadolinium detectors for general radiography imaging or cesium iodide detectors for dose-sensitive applications. Users have a choice of wireless or tethered 35 x 43 cm (14 x 17 inch) cassette-size detectors that will fit into an existing bucky, or a 43 x 43 cm (17 x 17 inch) fixed detector. Beam-detect mode is intended to eliminate the need for a cable connection to the generator, so image capture begins when the detector senses the x-ray exposure.
Wireless detectors enable a productive workflow with wireless transmission of images to the capture console, immediate image viewing and manipulation, and the ability to forward images from the console to printers or a PACS. An x-ray exam can be transmitted to a computer or laptop using the detector’s access point, or the detector can be connected to a system control unit that provides a continuous signal to one or more detectors. According to Carestream, other options include a desktop or laptop console.
The Pro Retrofit system also includes pre-loaded Carestream VXvue image management software and an image suite mini-PACS module that offers Web-based patient scheduling, image review and reporting, and flexible archiving solutions.
Carestream reports that for customers in the US, the system is available from authorized Carestream dealers via the company’s Genesis dealer network. For more information, visit the Carestream website.