ATL releases cardiac version of HDI 3000

Ultrasound vendor ATL has put the finishing touches on a cardiacversion of its high-end HDI 3000 ultrasound scanner. The systemwill be ATL's premium cardiac offering, positioned above the scannersthe Bothell, WA, firm acquired through its takeover of Interspeclast year.

To optimize HDI 3000 for cardiac imaging, ATL added cardiac protocolsto the system's tissue specific imaging (TSI) feature, which providesusers with a series of predetermined settings that optimize thescanner's parameters for the type of exam being conducted. ATLalso refined other cardiac-specific functions on HDI 3000, suchas EKG. The probes required for cardiac imaging are already onthe market.

ATL also has refined its Color Power Angio power Doppler techniquefor cardiac applications. Rather than focus on blood flow andminute vessels as power Doppler techniques do, Power Motion Imagingshows heart wall motion.

In other ATL news, the company said it expects to post resultsfor the second quarter of 1995 that meet analysts' predictionsranging from a loss of 2¢ a share to a profit of 8¢,according to Dow Jones News Service.