SonoSite has launched its MicroMaxx ultrasound system, the company's third generation hand-carried product, in the UK. The company launched the MicroMaxx system at the prestigious Conrad Hotel in Chelsea Harbour, London. The evening was attended by over 150 industry specialists who came to hear SonoSite's plans, and followed by dinner with the guest speaker, Sir Matthew Pinsent.
The MicroMaxx system delivers image resolution and performance comparable to costly, conventional cart-based ultrasound systems. The system provides caregivers with unmatched flexibility and efficiency in utilising ultrasound in both hospital and office-based settings.
Kevin M Goodwin, President and CEO of SonoSite said, "With this new combination of performance and portability, the MicroMaxx system addresses traditional ultrasound markets such as radiology and cardiology, while further expanding ultrasound's utility in areas such as emergency medicine, anaesthesiology and surgery."
The company's proprietary Chip Fusion technology integrates digital signal processing and multiple ultrasound functions into a custom ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) microchip, resulting in a high-performance, less costly, powerful, hand-carried unit. The MicroMaxx system comes with a standard five-year warranty, significantly reducing the cost of owning advanced imaging equipment in any user setting.
In addition to traditional market segments for ultrasound such as radiology, cardiology and vascular imaging, high performance hand-carried products like MicroMaxx and SonoSite's earlier generation product, the Titan system, are increasing the use of ultrasound in new applications, including emergency medicine, anaesthesiology, general and specialised surgery. The MicroMaxx system is ready for scanning in seconds and can operate on battery power for up to four hours.
Transducers being introduced with the MicroMaxx system include; the HFL 38 /13-6 linear array transducer for breast, small parts, vascular, IMT and nerve imaging; the P17/5-1 phased array transducer for abdominal, cardiac and obstetrical scanning; the C60e/5-2 curved array transducer for abdominal, obstetrical and gynaecological scanning; and the TEE/8-3 multi-plane transducer for transoesophageal echocardiography scanning.
The MicroMaxx system also offers the option of embedded SonoCalc IMT (Intima Media Thickness) software for the early detection and management of cardiovascular disease.
"Hand-carried ultrasound is affecting the sector much like the mobile phone affected telecommunications and the laptop affected personal computing. The UK has already begun to benefit greatly from hand-carried ultrasound technology," said Bernard Vincent, UK general manager. "The mobility, cost savings and efficiency that SonoSite products create have significantly reduced the time patients wait to be scanned. This translates to more accurate diagnoses and earlier treatment for the patient."
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