Interventional cath and angio systems are not only big investments, they're a cornerstone modality in hospitals and clinics. This is why it's crucial to have the right level of service coverage for them. If you're not confident in your service coverage, few things are worse than finding out the tube or detector on your cath lab has failed and needs to be replaced.

To avoid situations like this, which can quickly rack up costs in time, money, and aggravation, you can mitigate the problem with the right service plan. Below, we'll cover a few things to consider while you shop for cath lab service. We'll also discuss three levels of coverage on the cath lab service market and what they offer in support and peace of mind.

If you’re in the market for a cath lab, chances are you’re familiar with the significant costs involved with the project. While there are many factors that go into the total cost of purchasing a cath lab (construction, acquisition, installation), there is one specific factor you can approach differently to save money.

What is this sorcery, you ask? It boils down to one word: service. Keep reading, and we'll share with you how the way you protect your system with service coverage can save you thousands of dollars.

Installing any piece of medical equipment is a challenge, but few modalities match the highly-involved process of installing an interventional cath lab. Because there are so many steps, the process is the subject of many, many questions. So, during a recent install, we decided to document the process for all to see. While there are elements outside an installer's control, such as delivery conditions, the difficulty of electrical runs, or the hours the building is available to them, most floor-mounted cath lab installations take place along a schedule similar to the one below. Keep in mind that several additional days should be expected if your inbound system has a ceiling-mounted gantry.

Keep reading to see a pictorial, day-by-day walkthrough of a floor-mounted cath lab installation.

Philips cath labs come loaded with a wide variety of hardware and software options. As a result, there are a lot of tech terms and proprietary names that get thrown around when the equipment is discussed; things like FlexVision XL, FlexVision Pro, FlexArm, EP Cockpit, and Clarity. While these terms can sometimes be confused or, worse, overlooked altogether, they represent important items that can make a big difference in the cost, performance, and user experience of the lab. To clarify the function and value of Philips cath lab options, let’s take a closer look at the terms that come up the most when we talk with cath lab buyers who are considering Philips.

 For those entering the cath lab market for the first time, there are scads of options on the table as you begin doing your homework and narrowing down the field. One of the major options you'll run across is whether you want a single or bi-plane cath lab system. To help you make that determination, we've compiled a short list of things you should know first.

Single and bi-plane cath labs differ from one another in several main ways:

1. Image Acquisition Speed
2. Specialization
3. Space Requirements
4. Site Preparation
5. Cost