| Does your Retrofit provide Dual Energy |
| : Dual Energy is a function where the patient is chest scanned and receive two x-ray shots within milliseconds. This function makes it possible to subtract the hard bone image from the one of the soft tissue. The result are two separate images. One of the bones and one of the tissue structure. Only GE provides this function in its machines, that is why the GE dealer is easily identified as soon as he asks this question. GE normally provides just detectors with 2 lp/mm, so is questionable if this Dual Energy really is a useful gadget. First the patient is twice exposed to an x-ray shot within a very short time. Then the picture does not give a reliable image of cancers, tumors or calcifications in the early stage, when there can still something be done about it. Dual Energy just reliably detects tumors in a patient body in a much more advanced stage. |
| Where is company service available |
| In the field we cannot offer real service. It is just possible to exchange defective parts. It is not allowed for anyone but authorized New Medical staff to open the detector housing.
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| Which types of grid are available |
| A grid normally is made of carbon fibers, in which we have lead rods incorporated. We distinguish between table- and bucky-grids, as they serve for different purposes. |
| What is the difference between 3- and 5-chamber AEC |
| The 3-chamber-AEC is sufficient for a detector that does not come with a rotation option. In case of a rotation option it is advisable to get a 5-chamber-AEC. The numeration of the chambers (i.e. for horizontal use) can be changed if required. |
| What is to be noted for shipment |
| For shipment into cold places or during winter time it is highly advisable to keep the product box warm by additional box accessories. The isolation material can keep the warmth during transport for several days. The transportation costs are not unnecessarily increased by that. An electrical heating is not allowed for airplane transport, so we rely on chemical warming that keeps the content of the box warm for up to five days. |
| When does the period of warranty begin |
| The duration of warranty begins upon shipment and lasts for 12 months. In case of exchange of a defective detector the guarantee begins again where it left off with the installation of the new detector. |
| How much patient throughput is possible |
| Patient throughput and product lifetime is hard to quantify, as different hospitals and clinics have different requirements. Our detectors have lasted in the field for more than one million exposures. For normal operation, we do not suggest to have throughput of more than 300 patients per day. |
| When does the calibration start |
| The calibration can start just after installation. The process of calibration begins with the artifact image and the black image of the detector. The selenium needs three months to stabilize. In the first week after installation the detector is to be newly calibrated every morning in accordance to the manual’s guidelines. After that it is to be newly calibrated once a week. After one month the customer has certainty about the quality of his detector. If the detector proves to be defective then, it will be exchanged. The quota of bad detectors is very low. |
| How high is the storage capacity of PACS |
| This depends on the PACS system of the customer. A full PACS system should provide a single point of access for images and their associated data (i.e. it should support multiple modalities). It should also interface with existing hospital information systems: Hospital information system (HIS) and Radiology Information System (RIS). The connection modalities of our workstation to the PACS are adjustable and capable of adaption. The software can confirm the compatibility. Our DICOM-functions are self developed and are for that reason much more flexible. |
| How can the customer be sure that while we connect to his generator we do not tamper with it |
| We can guarantee the customer that we do not interfere with his generator. We just trigger it with a light signal that is deliver by the switch to the switch box and tells the generator to start the exposure. The switch box circuits and the ones of the customer’s generator are strictly isolated from each other. |
| Can your DR-solution be retrofitted on any x-ray generator |
| With certainty we can say that we can retrofit 95% of all known x-ray generators. The quality of the x-ray generator may have an impact on the image quality. |
| What frequency and which voltage should a generator provide |
| generator with high frequency is preferable to be upgraded, as it provides more image stability. Yet we can also retrofit low frequency generators. As for the voltage we suggest 30 kW generators for chest and 50 kW for table. |
