Advanced abilities
It's entirely possible that the most exciting part of an equipment
upgrade is discovering all the innovations on the models you're trial-
ing that didn't even exist when you bought your current workhorse.
When we set out to replace our aging C-arm with 2 new ones, we
were chiefly interested in something that would deliver nice, clear
images. But as it turned out, it was IT capabilities that really attracted
our ortho docs to the C-arms we ended up buying. Their ability to
download fluoroscopic images through a direct connection to our
hospital's network means not only that we don't have to print photos
or film anymore, but also that pictures and videos from the operation
are accessible on physicians' tablet and laptop computers from the
OR or their offices. That connectivity, along with foot-pedal controls
that let physicians shoot the images themselves at the exact moment
they want to capture, makes for an impressive improvement in med-
ical records and patient education.
We chose one of the 2 C-arms specifically for its ability to serve vas-
cular cases. It includes a pulsed fluoroscopy feature that creates cine
runs, a rapid-fire series of images that enable a physician who's inject-
ed contrast dye to observe it flowing through a patient's vessels, then
replay the sequence as many times as necessary. Our vascular sur-
geon, who we thought was going to be biggest hurdle to clear when
selecting suitable C-arms, was sold after he saw the cine runs.
Some newer C-arm models can also improve the quality of the
images they provide. They offer settings that program a system to dis-
tinguish different densities of anatomical structures in its imaging
data — such as bone and soft tissue — and enhance the contrast
between them in order to emphasize the details that physicians want
to see. They also let you narrow the visual field in order to selectively
focus the imaging on (and reduce the radiation around) a hard-to-view
area.
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