Health Technology, Medical Devices
Business Wire | October 18, 2023
GE HealthCare announced US FDA 510(k) clearance of Allia IGS Pulse - the latest addition to the company’s image guided system (IGS) offerings. Allia IGS Pulse features a new imaging chain engineered to provide exceptional imaging at the right dose for visible impact in complex cardiology interventions regardless of patient size.
In modern healthcare today, cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to grow in prevalence, with CVDs being the leading cause of death globally. As clinicians work to treat CVDs, cardiology procedures continue to evolve as demand for minimally invasive surgery grows. GE HealthCare is committed to helping interventional cardiologists, vascular surgeons and other interventional specialists use image guidance technologies to their full potential by optimizing workflows and providing exceptional image quality to help clinicians provide quality care to their patients, while also enabling better clinical and operational outcomes.
According to a survey of interventionalists, nearly 50% of interventional procedures are performed at working positions where clinicians have poor access to user interface functions and display.3 Designed to address these challenges, the new Allia IGS Pulse provides a personalized workspace that meets the operator’s specific needs and preferences. As part of its new image chain, the system features the first monopolar x-ray tube used to capture images for interventional procedures. This new tube is powerful, yet quieter than normal conversation4 to optimize the operating environment during a procedure. The small footprint of the new tube also helps clinicians reach steep angulation for better understanding of coronary artery anatomy, even with the 30cm detector configurations. The latest version of MyIQ technology incorporated into the system allows clinicians to select their favorite image look from four different image styles with just one click for a tailored experience at no additional dose.
In the treatment of complex cardiovascular diseases, image quality and optimized dose management regardless of patient size are also important to clinicians. With Allia IGS Pulse, interventionalists are able to get exceptional image quality for large and bariatric patients with a BMI of greater than 30. The system’s reduced pulse width and unmatched X-ray peak power helps to decrease motion blur for better visualization of moving elements such as vessels and devices. To relieve clinicians and technologists of the complex task of optimizing image quality and dose during procedures, Allia IGS Pulse takes AutoRight, the company’s intelligent image chain leveraging AI, a step further with AutoRight PLUS - the next generation of the automation platform. With AutoRight PLUS, the system now optimizes seven parameters in real time, including Focal Spot Shape. By removing the burden of manual adjustment during procedures, clinicians can stay focused on the procedure and treatment of their patients. To further optimize dose along the image chain, a unique suite of tools is also available to help support dose efficiency, dose reduction and dose awareness.
Since January 2023, Allia IGS Pulse has been in pilot operations at Clinique Pasteur - Toulouse in Toulouse, France.
“At Clinique Pasteur in Toulouse, we perform thousands of interventional cardiology procedures each year,” says Dr. Nicolas Dumonteil, Interventional Cardiologist, Clinique Pasteur, Toulouse. “As an operator of the Allia IGS Pulse system, I felt a significant and real improvement in the imaging quality, as well as a significant reduction of this noise in my daily procedures which gave me great confidence and comfort in the operating room. The system is also quite adaptable and versatile to all of my daily situations and procedures – from percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) to other complex and structural ones.”
says Dr Raphaël Philippart, Interventional Cardiologist, Clinique Pasteur, Toulouse.
I saw a significant improvement in the image quality, especially with obese patients and complex angioplasties - where a good visibility of my guidewire, balloons and stents are particularly important.
[Source – Business Wire]
“Interventional cardiology procedures require exceptional image quality,” says Arnaud Marie – General Manager of Interventional for GE HealthCare. “I’m excited by the addition of Allia IGS Pulse to our interventional offerings because it addresses the very things clinicians continue to tell us present challenges in their day-to-day practice. By developing new features to further evolve our core platform, we’re helping to reduce complexity and improve the operating environment so that clinicians can have a personalized workspace that better enables them to keep their focus where it belongs – on their patients.”
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Healthcare Analytics
Business Wire | September 29, 2023
Barbara Buttchen has been named National Caregiver of the Year by Maxim Healthcare Services (Maxim), a national provider of home healthcare, personal and behavioral care. Buttchen, a nurse in Maxim’s Madison, Wisconsin office was presented with the John “Doc” Langley National Caregiver of the Year award alongside colleagues and fellow nominees during a ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland on September 19.
“Barbara makes such a difference in the lives of her patients and their families every day,”
said Maxim’s Chief Executive Officer, Jarrod DePriest.
We deeply admire Barbara’s dedication to providing quality compassionate in-home care and we are thrilled to present her with this much-deserved recognition.
[Source – Business Wire]
Selected by a panel of judges for her impactful contributions to the home healthcare community, Buttchen has worked as a nurse for more than 50 years. Described by her colleagues as one of the most selfless, caring, kind, and hard-working individuals, Buttchen prioritizes others’ well-being more than her own. She currently lives with lymphoma but keeps a positive attitude and is always looking for ways to serve others. She extends caregiving to her personal life with activities such as delivering Meals on Wheels to individuals in need, providing care to a friend that has Alzheimer's, and also lending her expertise to a friend’s husband that is wheelchair bound while they travel, so that the vacation can be safe and enjoyable.
During the ceremony Barbara shared, “I wanted to be like Florence Nightingale. That’s how I want to be known and live my life. Before I lay my head down on the pillow, I want to make rounds one more time, with the lantern, to see if there’s someone that needs my care. Thank you so much for this honor.”
Maxim’s Caregiver of the Year Award Program, which is celebrated annually, recognizes the nurses, home healthcare aides and behavioral direct care workers who all play a vital role in providing compassionate, holistic care for patients who are both medically fragile and who require behavioral and community support. Learn more about Buttchen’s story, here.
In addition to honoring Buttchen, Maxim also celebrates another significant milestone this year – providing 35 years of compassionate, holistic home healthcare for patients. DePriest, who has been with Maxim since 1998 and first started with the company as a healthcare recruiter, lauds the Maxim team for this accomplishment.
“The healthcare industry has continued to rapidly grow and evolve, and likewise so has Maxim,” said DePriest. “As a mission-driven company, we are passionate about our work and improving the lives of our patients, their families and the communities we serve nationwide. I want to thank our exceptional team for their commitment and service, and to our patients and their families that have welcomed us into their homes.”
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Health Technology, Digital Healthcare
Johnson and Johnson | September 15, 2023
Johnson and Johnson's brand identity communicates the company's bold healthcare innovation while staying true to its global patient care.
Leveraging advanced medicine and technology, the company proactively tackles complex diseases with more innovative, less invasive, and personalized solutions.
The company plans to gradually implement the new logo, colors, and font across all its materials, product packaging, and branding assets.
Johnson and Johnson is currently revitalizing its brand and consolidating its MedTech and pharmaceutical segments under the unified name of Johnson and Johnson, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to healthcare innovation and addressing the most challenging health issues.
The announcement signifies a pivotal moment in Johnson and Johnson's evolution as the company harnesses its extensive knowledge of innovative medicine and cutting-edge medical technology. This strategic move aims to proactively address, treat, and ultimately find cures for intricate diseases while simultaneously ushering in solutions characterized by heightened intelligence, reduced invasiveness, and greater personalization, marking a significant stride toward reshaping the future of healthcare.
The company's two major segments will become more closely associated with the Johnson and Johnson brand. Over time, Janssen, the company's pharmaceutical part, will assume the name Johnson and Johnson Innovative Medicine, while the medical technology segment will retain the Johnson and Johnson MedTech designation.
The pharmaceuticals segment leads the way in advancing healthcare, pioneering treatments to reshape the future of well-being. Johnson and Johnson Innovative Medicine combines a compassionate scientific approach to effectively confront the most complex diseases in oncology, immunology, neuroscience, cardiovascular, pulmonary hypertension, and retina to develop future medications. Simultaneously, the medical technology segment dedicates itself to addressing the most pressing healthcare challenges through innovations at the nexus of biology and technology.
Vanessa Broadhurst, Executive Vice President of Global Corporate Affairs, stated,
Our Johnson and Johnson brand identity communicates our bold approach to innovation in healthcare while staying true to the care we have for our patients around the world.
[Source: Business Wire]
The updated Johnson and Johnson logo, featuring letters drawn in a single stroke for added contrast and a sense of unexpectedness, embraces both long and short versions, with the 'J&J' abbreviation gaining prominence, especially in digital contexts. The color palette leans toward a refreshed and contemporary red, symbolizing the company's agility in responding to health challenges and evolving with the times. The revamped ampersand now signifies global recognition, openness, and the connections that breathe life into the brand's purpose. In terms of art direction, elements such as illustration and photography have undergone careful curation to evoke energy, optimism, and inclusivity, presenting a distinctive approach within the healthcare domain.
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