InfiMed software catches on as installed base upgrade, OEM package

InfiMed's new StingRay Excel is a hit. More than 60 digital radiography units have shipped in the three months since it was introduced at the 2004 RSNA meeting. At this rate, the company will easily surpass its target of installing 100 units by year's end. But InfiMed couldn't have done it alone.

Its latest product, like many upon which the company is based, is designed to serve as an upgrade for the installed base of film-based x-ray systems or as part of an integrated OEM x-ray product. The software platform accommodates a wide range of detectors, including static and dynamic flat panels.

The company is selling its DR product domestically through a network of about 50 dealers and worldwide through an OEM network. Its target market spans the range of medical institutions from outpatient imaging centers to regional hospitals and major medical centers.

"It has a place in a facility that's doing only 10 patients, but we really suggest this for a site that's doing 25 to 30 patients per day," said Amy Supparits, InfiMed's manager of marketing communications and dealer relations. "Those will really see a return on investment."

The Excel is built on 20 years of experience in developing and marketing such technology. InfiMed released a digital videofluorography system, the FC1000 fluoroscopic computer, in 1985. That system was later replaced by the GoldOne, which InfiMed claims was the first Windows-based diagnostic x-ray platform.

Excel's key features include an integrated generator interface designed with preprogrammed settings. These improve workflow by eliminating the need for technologists to program the generator for specific techniques or exams. An algorithm called ImageEnhance optimizes images immediately upon acquisition. An orthopedic stitching program dubbed ImageStitch combines two scans into one 17 x 34-inch image.