So you’re in the market for a refurbished or used CT Scanner, and you’re partial to Siemens. But you don’t know which one is exactly right for your practice, clinic or healthcare facility.
The good news is, both are great in their own ways. But let’s look at how they are different.
When it comes to CT Scans, every cross sectional image is a “slice” of a human being, used to provide detailed information to diagnose, plan treatment for and evaluate conditions. The more slices, the more exposure to radiation. For example, a four slice is great for routine body imaging, but some situations simply benefit from more slices—like an cardiac CT angiogram. The Siemens Sensation Series comes in 4, 10, 16, 40 and 64-slice versions. However, the Emotion Series only comes in 1, 2, 6 and 16-slice versions.
If space is an issue in your clinic or facility, you’d be better off going with the Emotion. It’s much smaller than the Sensation, so it’s perfect if you’ve got space constraints.
The X-ray tubes on the Siemens Sensation have a much higher heat capacity, so if you have a high volume practice, this is the one for you.
It’s always a good idea to factor in the cost of X-ray tube replacement. The Sensation Series comes with one of two kinds of tubes: A Straton (8.0 MHU) or an Akron Q (5.3 MHU.) Break out your wallet if you need to replace a Straton—they’re quite expensive to replace. The Straton is found on all 40s and 64s.
The Akron Q is found on 4s, 10s and some 16s and costs much less to replace.
Now for the Emotion Series: they all use Dura X-ray tubes. The single-slice units use the Dura 202 or 302, while the dual slice uses the Dura 352 and the 6 or 16-slice scanners us the Dura 422. While the Dura 422 is more expensive than an Akron Q, don’t worry—it’s much les than a Straton X-ray tube.
Siemens introduced both the Sensation 4-slice CTs and Emotion single-slice CTs in the year 2000. The Sensation 16-slice CT was released a few years before the Emotion 16-slice, so in most cases, the Sensation CT scans on the market will be a bit older than the Emotion models. That said, when you buy refurbished models, you get a great service and performance warranty, so you can buy with confidence.
If you have additional questions about Siemens CT scanners or CT Scanners by any manufacturer, talk to the experts at Atlantis Worldwide. We can help you find the perfect refurbished or used CT for your needs and budget. Contact Jeff Weiss at 212-366-9100 or Jeffweiss@atlantisworldwide.com
About the author: Vikki Harmonay