GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Company (New York Stock Exchange listing: GE), specialises in providing transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care.Its expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, performance improvement, drug discovery, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies is helping clinicians around the world re-imagine new ways to predict, diagnose, inform, treat and monitor disease, so patients can live their lives to the fullest.

GE Healthcare on April 16^th announced its first line of digital radiography x-ray products from the company, to be known as “Ecomagination”, based on the systems’ energy and operational efficiency.

This digital x-ray technology enables digital image review, thereby eliminating the traditional x-ray film and chemicals used by an analog processor. For example, eliminating 50,000 analog films saves 1,900 gallons (7,200 L) of fixer and developer per year. Avoiding the need of analog film processing also removes the need to purchase, handle and dispose of processing developer and fixer chemicals.

A GE Healthcare digital x-ray room is designed to replace two GE analog x-ray rooms, saving energy and space, and avoiding water and chemical use for film processing, while maintaining the same imaging volume.

“With this line of radiology systems, we are not only delivering on our commitment to provide safe, high-quality products, but also providing clinics with cost savings and an opportunity to reduce their environmental impact,” said John Dineen, president and CEO of GE Healthcare.

“Ecomagination” is part of GE’s commitment to imagine and build innovative technologies that help customers address their environmental and economic needs, such as the need for servicing and striving for more efficient sources of energy. To join the “ecomagination” portfolio, a system must complete the company’s rigorous internal environmental and operational evaluation. A GE Healthcare digital radiography x-ray system has the potential to reduce energy consumption by 4,300 kWh or 78%, and save approximately $100,000 USD per year in productivity and material costs based on US national averages.

“By replacing our analog x-ray with GE digital systems, we have reduced our water and energy costs by eliminating the need to use analog film processing,” said Ken D'Arrigo, Administrator from Orthopedic Care Specialists, Inc., in Easton, Massachusetts, USA . “We have also seen an increase in volume of imaging and overall throughput with the digital systems.”

The digital x-ray product line includes the Discovery XR650, Optima XR640, DR-F, Definium 8000, Definium 6000, Definium 5000 and Definium AMX 700. System availability is based on geography.

Reported by Thu Nguyen