Siemens launches enhanced Acuson X300 ultrasound system

Siemens Healthcare demonstrated its latest ultrasound enhancements to the cardiology suite at the 2008 American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Sessions in Chicago this week.

The new release of the Acuson X300 ultrasound system Premium Edition offers a cardiology toolset in a compact package, including capabilities for cardiac assessment, such as syngo Velocity Vector Imaging (VVI) technology for detailed assessment of myocardial motion and mechanics, Siemens said.

In addition to syngo VVI, the company said that the Acuson X300 system also features syngo Auto Left Heart for expert-like measurements of ejection fraction and volumes of the left ventricle and atrium, as well as other cardiac applications, such as left ventricular opacification, intracardiac procedures with the Acuson AcuNav ultrasound catheter and transesophageal echocardiography for the evaluation of heart valves and chambers.

Around the web

RBMA President Peter Moffatt discusses some of the biggest obstacles facing the specialty in the new year. 

Deepak Bhatt, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital and principal investigator of the TRANSFORM trial, explains an emerging technique for cardiac screening: combining coronary CT angiography with artificial intelligence for plaque analysis to create an approach similar to mammography.

A total of 16 cardiology practices from 12 states settled with the DOJ to resolve allegations they overbilled Medicare for imaging agents used to diagnose cardiovascular disease.