Zeego a C-Arm with Extreme Versatility
In today's interventional department, the radiology equipment needs the versatility and flexibility for all scopes of interventional procedures. From working around anesthesia's equipment to providing current imaging techniques (rotational 3d imaging), the c-arm is positioned in many peculiar angles.
Innovative technology has continued into the next generation of Angiography equipment. Siemens has designed an articulating, floor mounted C-Arm called the Zeego that provides extreme versatility for any interventional procedure. The Zeego uses robotic technology and offers marked flexibility with C-Arm movement compared to a traditional C-Arm. It further provides complex scanning (large volume 2 dimensional Dyna CT) that provides a greater area of cross-sectional imaging.
The department of Interventional Radiology installed the Zeego prototype back in November 2007. The University of Virginia Interventional Department was the first institution to performed a procedure on a patient using the Zeego technology in the United States. There are two other units located in the U.S. One unit was installed at St. Luke Episcopal Hospital in Houston Texas, and the other at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland Ohio.
Due to the prototype equipment, a research consent is required before entering the room with a patient. However, in February, the FDA approved the Zeego. After some software upgrades on the prototype Zeego at UVA, the patients will no longer have to give their consent to be imaged on this equipment.
Here at UVA, the Zeego technology continues to present impressive images while placed in extraordinary positions. The Zeego's robotic technology is clearly revolutionary, and it is awesome to be a part of today's dynamic imaging technology. Furthermore, the Zeego marks a milestone in the progression of technology. More information can be found on the Siemens Website: www.siemens.com/medical.
- Steve Haug