At the recently concluded Radiological Society of North America (RSNA 1–6 December, Chicago, USA), Siemens introduced a new angiography system optimied for a broad clinical utilisation. Artis one is designed for routine interventions, which represent the majority of angiographic procedures. Energy consumption with the new system is up to 20% lower than with Artis zee floor.
Several thousand angiographic procedures are performed each day worldwide. On the one hand, these include treatment of highly complex cases requiring a high degree of tailoring of the angiography lab’s configuration. On the other hand, there are many routine interventions, which represent the clear majority of cases. These include, for example, revascularisations of peripheral arterial or venous occlusions, functional tests of dialysis shunts (surgical vascular connections between arteries and veins) in patients with kidney failure or of implanted ports in tumour patients.
Low space requirement of just 25 square metres
Despite being floor-mounted, the new angiography system is similar in positioning flexibility to ceiling-mounted systems and requires substantially less space: Artis one occupies only 25 square metres, compared to the usual 45 square metres required by ceiling-mounted systems. The system features several axes which can be moved independently of each other. This allows physicians and hospital staff to easily position the system where needed – regardless of where the physician is standing.
The system covers body heights of up to 2.1 metres without the need to reposition the patient, even for the imaging of peripheral vessels. When necessary, the system allows free access to the patient’s head in order to provide optimal care during the procedure.
Buttons on the table side console are tactile so that they can be easily operated even under the sterile covering. The on-screen menu allows the physician to navigate directly using the heads-up display. All information about the procedure is thus kept right in front of the operator’s eyes. The comfortable 30 inch display size delivers images up to 90% larger than conventional 19-inch monitors.
The new system is equipped with the proven “Megalix” x-ray tube of the Artis zee system family featuring flat emitter technology. Using a tube current of up to 250 milliampere (mA), the system generates images with outstanding quality and high contrast resolution. In order to keep radiation exposure for the physician and patient as low as possible, Artis one offers the most extensive feature set for dose reduction of any angiography system on the market.
By using 20% less energy than Artis zee floor, Artis one also helps reducing operational costs. This is mainly achieved through the use of components manufactured by Siemens for the field of industry automation.
According to the clinical application, Artis one is available in different configurations tailored to fit a broad range of clinical requirements.
