OEC 9800 vs. OEC Brivo: C-Arm Comparison

Looking at them side-by-side, you could almost draw the conclusion that the OEC Brivo was developed to be a "little brother" system to the OEC 9800- and, in some ways, you'd be right. But what does that mean, exactly? Just how different is the Brivo from its bigger, older sibling, and which applications do these differences make it suited for?

We've compared the 9800 and the Brivo across the most pertinent differentiators so that those of you on the market for your next C-arm can make an informed decision about the best C-arm fit for your facility's needs.

Software Configurations

The 9800 is a full-featured C-arm system intended to meet the needs of a variety of physicians. It's available with OEC's general surgery (GSP), extended surgery (ESP), vascular, neurovascular, and cardiac software configurations. The Brivo is intended for more basic use and comes with a general surgery configuration.

Image Intensifier Sizes

Because of the variety of work the 9800 is intended for, it comes with either a 9" or a 12" image intensifier (II). The Brivo is only available with a 9" II, which is sufficient for general surgery.

Power Levels

The 9800 has a 15kW generator to accommodate larger patients,  thicker anatomy penetration, more procedure types, and more volume. By comparison, the Brivo's generator is 2.2kW, making it much better suited for procedures that require fluoro on a smaller patient or portion of anatomy.

Best Uses

Given the number of options available for it, there are configurations of the 9800 that will work well for any C-arm procedure. The Brivo is best used for extremities and basic surgery at moderate volumes.

 Availability

Because the 9800 is the best-selling C-arm model of all time, refurbished 9800s are readily available on the secondary market. On the other hand, used or refurbished Brivos are very rare. If you're interested in a Brivo, you'll more than likely need to get one brand-new from OEC.

The Takeaway

Presently, the OEC 9800 demonstrates a better value than the Brivo. Because it's available refurbished, the 9800 will cost less and, because it has more power and software/hardware configurations, it will also offer much greater flexibility in the types of work it can be used for.

That said, when Brivos begin to emerge more commonly on the secondary market, their "no frills" design will make them a compelling option for facilities that have lighter workloads for their fluoroscopy equipment.