GE Healthcare Announces U.S. Launch of New Mobile X-ray Platform

WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN – JUNE 23, 2011 – GE Healthcare today announced FDA clearance of Optima* XR220amx, Optima XR200amx and Brivo* XR285amx – a new platform of user-friendly, mobile x-ray systems offering improvements from its predecessors in reliability, accessibility and flexibility to help address the increasingly specialized radiographic needs of patients. Building upon GE’s innovative medical imaging legacy and long-standing AMX mobile x-ray portfolio, these systems are designed to provide healthcare professionals with fast, low-dose, high quality images that can aid in accurate diagnoses as early as possible in challenging clinical settings.

“This new mobile platform represents yet another step toward more patient-centered, user-friendly medical imaging,” said Anne LeGrand, vice president and general manager for GE Healthcare’s X-ray business. “In listening to our customers across the globe, we believe a one-size-fits-all approach to x-ray no longer fully satisfies users or best serves patients. These next generation systems are designed to offer new levels of agility, reliability and access – all in an effort to improve quality of care by bringing x-ray directly to the patient.”

GE Healthcare’s latest mobile x-ray technology is the result of years of research and collaboration between technologists, physicians, engineers and administrators seeking to craft an intuitive, practical and integrated mobile system. The digital Optima XR220amx, digital-ready Optima XR200amx and Brivo XR285amx are more compact and powerful than their predecessors. They feature intuitive touch screens, immediate start-up capability, more storage and the high image quality required in today’s radiographic environment.

Mobile x-ray is designed for use when it is not safe or practical to move a patient from his or her bed to the radiology department. Specifically, Optima XR220amx is built to bring digital x-ray directly to the patient in the emergency room, intensive care unit and other clinical settings, while offering ergonomic improvements that can streamline transportation and patient positioning. Optima XR220amx also immediately integrates with GE’s revolutionary FlashPad* digital wireless detector.

Differentiated by FlashPad

Integrating FlashPad – a durable and adaptable wireless digital detector – with GE’s new mobile x-ray platform can impact diagnostic confidence while maintaining high image quality at low-dose levels. FlashPad also operates on a dedicated frequency spectrum using sophisticated ultra-wideband technology, thereby avoiding the congestion and competition found on many busy hospital wi-fi networks.

* Trademark of General Electric Company

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems.

Our “healthymagination” vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality around the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employees are committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries.  For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.

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