Sensible Solutions for Refurbished Radiology

Over the past two decades, the field of vascular medicine has grown rapidly. Its reach extends well beyond the treatment of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). Today cardiologists, cardiovascular specialists and surgeons are treating a diverse range of arterial and venous conditions and diseases.

Was 2016 a good year for you? I guess it depends on what you compare it to. 

The second part of our C-Arm spotlight series focuses on Philips. Philips has always played the role of little brother to GE OEC C-Arms. Philips C-Arms are great but generally not regarded as highly as the OECs. Philips missed an opportunity to take control of the C-Arm market when OEC was shut down by the FDA. OEC was able to stay the market leader of C-Arms even after having the work stoppage. Philips does very well specifically with Hospitals that buy only Philips equipment across all modalities. Philips is also ahead of OEC when it comes to flat panel detector C-Arms, but Philips does have stiff competition from the Siemens and Ziehm FD C-Arms.

A teenager zigs when he should have zagged while skiing.  A grandmother misses a last step on the stairwell at her vacation rental.  A golf swing ended up going awry.  These are the folks that end up at your orthopedic surgical center, healthcare clinic or hospital.  C-Arm to help them get back in the swing of things. (Ok, we couldn’t resist that one.)

There is a rising demand for interventional radiology procedures—and for good reason.  There’s a rise in minimally invasive procedures.  For example, we’re seeing a shift from open aortic surgery to minimally invasive procedures.  Plus, we’re also seeing an increase in endovascular cancer care.  Right now, image intensifiers are the mainstream technology, but the clock is definitely ticking.  It’s believed that flat panel detectors will soon become the standard for mobile C-Arms.

As we head into the final months of 2016, we thought it would be a good time to showcase each C-Arm manufacture and discuss our opinions on their C-Arms and where they are headed as a company.

As healthcare and diagnostics improve for human patients, so it does for members of the animal kingdom.  And perhaps one of the most important tools to improve treatment for dogs, cats, horses and other mammals are C-Arms. Before you think your practice can’t afford one, think again.  There are plenty of used and refurbished C-Arms on the market that can make a Mobile C-Arm a reality for your practice. Even if you have limited space, in all likelihood there’s a C-Arm that will work for you.

Do you want to hear a sad story we have heard way too many times?

Whether you buy a new or used C-Arm, the fact of the matter is that at one point or another your system will have an issue. As much as you want your C-Arm to work perfectly from the day you get it to the day you replace it, the reality is that a C-Arm is a machine and machines break. The severity of the issue will vary, but your response to getting it fixed should stay the same. 

There are so many options in the world today. Should you get Verizon, AT&T or Sprint cell phone service? Should you buy an iPhone or a Samsung cell phone? PC or Mac computer? You can spend hours reading up on all your options in life but when 
push comes to shove, any of these options will fulfill your needs. The same is the case for C-Arms. Is an OEC any better than a Philips or Siemens C-Arm? Or Ziehm for that matter? I'm sure there are people on both sides of the argument. So let’s look at the question 'what C-Arm should I buy?' from a different perspective...