Your Guide to Medical Imaging Equipment

People frequently ask us what, if any, requirements have been set for X-ray shielding in rooms where C-arms are in use. Unfortunately, there is no straightforward answer to the question.

Regulations for shielding during C-arm use vary across a number of factors, including site location, location of the C-arm within the site, and the type of usage the C-arm will see. Some states don't require any shielding at all, but have other requirements that must be met. Take Texas, for instance: a C-arm doesn't need to be shielded, but its dose must be monitored for a year after installation. Other states, like Ohio, require a physicist to visit your site and advise specific shielding measures for your individual building.

Because there are no across-the-board regulations for C-arm shielding, we put together a few "rule of thumb" recommendations for new C-arm owners in the example below and the short video that follows.

The Axiom Artis is one of the most prevalent product lines from Siemens in the interventional radiology category. One thing you’ll notice as you begin to look for information on the Axiom Artis is how many varieties it comes in: floor- mounted vs. ceiling-mounted vs. a combination of both, image intensifiers vs. detectors, single-plane vs. bi-plane. On top of that, there are numerous software configurations which will determine the kinds of studies each system is equipped to accommodate.

To denote the configuration of each system, Siemens has developed a "code" consisting of eight letters. With so many feature combinations, however, the code leaves you with a lot of acronyms and, perhaps, less clarity than the folks at Siemens might have hoped. We’ve decoded the acronyms below to assist anyone perusing Siemens interventional suites to better understand which system is the right fit.

If you're on the hunt for a Siemens 1.5T MRI, you already know there are a number of models available on the secondary market. While it's great to have options, it can also make the decision more complicated.

Which MRI scanner is best for you? If you prefer Siemens equipment, take a look at the 1.5T MRI models below for more information to help you reach your answer:

Most of us expect to pay much less for something that is refurbished than something that is new. That's a perfectly reasonable expectation and one that holds as true for interventional imaging equipment as any product. With that expectation intact, the question becomes, "Exactly how much do I stand to save by buying a refurbished cath lab?" We believe there are two answers to this question: a dollar amount and an overall value.

Below, we'll share what dollar amount you can expect top save when you buy a refurbished cath lab versus a new one, as well as the additional value those savings create.