From the March 2020 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
National Imaging Resources (NIR), an independent X-ray imaging and biomedical equipment sales and service organization with offices across the U.S., has recently become the distributor for a new C-Arm solution, developed in Europe, that is already turning heads in the states.
“When I was demoing the unit last week, the doctor’s and tech’s heads all sort of snapped back when they saw the first image appear,” Marc Schaefer, NIR’s Chairman of the Board, told HealthCare Business News. “They didn’t understand how such a good image could be captured so quickly. The doctor did 66 images during his hip procedure with only 44 seconds of radiation exposure at very low dose rate, so less than a second per image.”
But time-to-image isn’t the only thing that sets the Omniscop DReam C-Arm apart from the competition. It also allows for significantly lower dose exposure, typically less than one-third of the normal exposure from conventional systems.
How is that possible? Schaefer credits the performance capabilities to the manufacturer, Stephanix Medical Imaging Solutions which has a long-term working relationships with a major detector manufacturer, enabling front end access to some of the most advanced flat panel detector technology in the industry. Where C-Arms normally require a little time to achieve the necessary parameters for patient imaging and stabilization resulting in a good image, the Omniscop DReam creates an image almost instantly at the required parameters, saving time and improving patient throughput and safety for radiation dose control.
“It can handle anything any C-Arm out there does,” said Schaefer. “So for pain management, any orthopedic work, and general surgery or vascular work, we’re going to be a step above and competitive.”
As a national service provider, NIR is operated by industry veterans with over 673 years of combined experience. The company has 30 locations across the U.S. and leverages the skills of 263 highly trained field service engineers to provide multi-vendor service on a wide range of imaging modalities and clinical equipment.
“NIR was formed because of changes we are seeing in the market. We have to provide quality service and support, but we also have to be more competitive,” said Schaefer. “Our customers recognize that competitive value. In a giant conglomerate, for example, you’ve got a lot of bureaucracy and that can ultimately increase costs on the end user.”
Before becoming a distributor for the Omniscop DReam, the company did its homework to ensure the system was something they could provide optimal service for. The results were impressive.
“Stephanix Development Team has been making C-Arms for over 23 years, so we looked at their track record and saw that they have good sustainability and good reliability,” said Schaefer. “On top of that, we saw that parts design and availability is poised to simplify and streamline the maintenance process compared to other systems on the market. It’s just a much more tech-friendly and serviceable unit.”
That simplicity can be seen in the overall weight of the Omniscop DReam, which clocks in roughly 600 pounds lighter than the comparable market leader in Europe and 300 pounds lighter than the market leader in the U.S. Technologists will quickly recognize the ease of motion as they maneuver the system through the surgical suite.
Schaefer credits the relatively small footprint of NIR and Stephanix compared to leading imaging OEMs as key components to their success bringing this next-generation technology to market before the competition.
“Stephanix is at the forefront of tech and imaging,” he said. “The other guys will catch up in a few years but they move slower. They are juggernauts. We’re small. We move fast.”
To learn more about the Omniscop DReam visit NIR at www.nirmedical.com
