Patients Can Watch Movies and Cartoons During Exam
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Oct. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Siemens Medical
Solutions introduces new e.media technology for its nuclear imaging equipment
that addresses emotional stress and improves patient relaxation. Now standard
on Siemens' e.cam(R) Signature Series of nuclear medicine gamma cameras,
e.media is a unique, patent-pending, audio/visual feature that improves
diagnostic image quality by making patients feel more at ease with music and
video, while clinicians acquire movement-free images for cancer and other
diseases.
"Imagine facing the diagnosis of cancer or terminal disease, surrounded by
doctors and about to go through a 30-minute examination on an unfamiliar
machine. And then imagine being told that you can't move the entire time. This
is the current reality for many patients who require nuclear medicine
examinations," explains Randy Weatherhead, vice president of marketing and
sales for Nuclear Medicine Group of Siemens Medical Solutions. "Our new
system takes the edge off a procedure like this by allowing patients to watch
a movie on DVD or listen to music during an exam. Our goal is to ensure
patients are as comfortable and relaxed as possible during scanning
procedures, which ultimately equates to better results acquired from the
examination," said Weatherhead.
Nuclear medicine procedures rely on a clear reading, which can only be
obtained if the patient is still and relaxed during an examination -? an
often-difficult task for children and elderly patients. The Siemens new
e.media system offers aid to these restless patients by integrating
entertainment equipment directly into the gamma camera, allowing patients to
view DVDs of their choice or listen to music during the examination. Increased
comfort keeps patients from fidgeting, allowing for a clear reading that
reduces the need to redo procedures and expedites the examination process.
"With the length of nuclear medicine exams, patient comfort is always an
issue," explains Weatherhead. "e.media addresses this concern by using
innovative technologies to make the examination process easier on the patient.
This greatly improves result quality and the overall patient experience,"
Weatherhead said.
In addition, the e.media system also serves as a valuable educational tool
that allows patients to learn important information about nuclear medicine
procedures, the scanner, and the hospital before the examination begins, also
alleviating unnecessary stress to the patient. Another advantage of this
system is the ability to train clinicians right on the machine. The DVD
feature provides an outlet for practitioners to train on their own schedule,
reducing orientation time of new technologists.
Gamma cameras are used to obtain images by taking a picture of a radio
pharmaceutical agent as it flows through the organ of interest, such as the
heart, lungs, kidney or brain. These images can pinpoint disease in the
earliest stages and can help better plan treatment. Since nuclear medicine
information looks at the presence of abnormal biochemical changes, it is
especially effective at detecting cancer. Siemens e.cam family of gamma
cameras offers total flexibility in matching machine system requirements to
the specific needs of patients, and is adaptable to future clinical needs.
Siemens Medical Solutions of Siemens AG (NYSE: SI), with headquarters in
Iselin, NJ and Erlangen, Germany, is one of the largest suppliers to the
healthcare industry in the world. The company is renowned for its innovative
products, including imaging systems for diagnosis, therapy equipment for
treatment, hearing instruments, and critical care and life support systems, as
well as a wide array of information technology and data management solutions
that optimize workflow and increase efficiency in hospitals, clinics and
doctors' offices. The company is known as the premiere Application Service
Provider, processing more than 133 million transactions daily and managing
more than 67 terabytes of data -- twice the information volume of the Library
of Congress.
Employing approximately 30,000 people worldwide, the company reported
sales of 7.2 billion EUR, orders of 8.4 billion EUR and EBITA of 808 million
EUR in fiscal 2001 (September 30). More information can be obtained by
visiting us on the Web at http://www.siemensmedical.com.
Press releases issued are available on our web site at:
http://www.usa.siemens.com/press/
SOURCE Siemens Medical Solutions
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Related links:
http://www.usa.siemens.com
http://www.siemensmedical.com
http://www.usa.siemens.com/press
CONTACT:
LuJean Smith of Siemens Medical Solutions,
+1-425-557-1337, Lujean.smith@siemens.com
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