Philips joins with Sectra in PACS alliance

Philips has made major changes to its PACS focus since last year'sRSNA show. The Dutch vendor has entered a relationship with SwedishPACS software developer Sectra-Imtec that enables Philips to begincompeting in the market for filmless-hospital installations (SCAN10/9/96).

The Sectra product, called SectraPACS, is the image managementcomponent of Philips' Inturis connectivity program, accordingto Fred Goeringer, director of healthcare connectivity solutionsfor Philips. Other parts of Inturis address different aspectsof healthcare image and information management, such as radiologyand hospital information systems, and will be integrated withSectraPACS.

The last pieces of Sectra's image management software receivedFDA clearance in October, and Philips is now selling the product,Goeringer said.

In CT, Philips began shipping its Tomoscan AV scanner in Octoberafter showing it as a work-in-progress at the 1995 RSNA meeting.The system is available with Philips' MRC 201 and MRC 160 tubes;the high-end MRC 201 has a heat rating of 6.2 MHU, and both havehigh heat dissipation capabilities, according to Marc Lawrence,director of marketing.

Philips will also display a volumetric scanning upgrade forthe Tomoscan EG and Tomoscan M mobile CT scanners (SCAN 7/17/96).Philips has been very successful with the systems in the internationalmarket, and the vendor is selling the scanners in the U.S. ascost-effective second or third scanners that can be placed indepartments outside radiology, Lawrence said.

On the x-ray side, Philips will display grid-controlled fluoroscopy,a technique that allows users to reduce x-ray dose to patientswhile simultaneously improving image quality, according to WadeBinford, director of marketing for radiography-fluoroscopy andsurgical systems. Philips will also display BV 300, a surgicalC-arm with a new x-ray tube, BV Five, which is so reliable thatPhilips is offering a five-year warranty, Binford said.