A Diagnostics & Imaging Week

GE Healthcare-Dynamic Imaging Solutions (Barrington, Illinois), a unit of GE Healthcare (Waukesha, Wisconsin), has partnered with Orthocrat (Petach Tikva, Israel), a provider of orthopedic preoperative templating software, to introduce an integrated digital image management and surgical planning tool for orthopedic surgeons.

GE Healthcare's Centricity PACS-IW for hospitals and imaging centers, and Centricity PACS Office-IW for physician offices offers tight integration to Orthocrat TraumaCad software, providing Web-based, single-click access to digital orthopedic templating tools, according to the companies. Both companies are demonstrating this integration to TraumaCad 2.0 this week at the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM; Leesburg, Virginia) conference in Seattle.

"The simplicity of Web-based integration between Centricity PACS-IW and TraumaCad has empowered our customers to truly leverage their PACS investment for orthopedics," said Brad Levin, VP of marketing for GE Healthcare-Dynamic Imaging Solutions. "Practices of all sizes and clinical mission can take advantage of this solution, and our top industry rankings are indicative of the success that these tools offer to patient care."

The Centricity PACS-IW is intended to allow orthopedic surgeons to integrate templating into clinical workflow, maintaining all images, reports and templating results in one location, as well as integrated to the EMR (if available). No pre-existing TraumaCad software needs to be loaded at the location where the orthopedist requires access. Once authenticated into Centricity PACS-IW, from any client location accessible via the Internet, the user simply needs to request the TraumaCad software plugin, which is then quickly downloaded from the server.

Orthocrat's TraumaCad software enables orthopedic surgeons to streamline their process for planning all types of trauma, reconstructive or implant surgeries by providing "one click" access to digital templating tools that can help them accurately measure and plan for implants needed in joint arthroplasty, deformity correction, spine and trauma surgeries, the companies said.

"This is another example of success that's come from our established relationship with GE Healthcare," said Zeev Glozman, co-founder of Orthocrat. "What's exciting is that our joint effort greatly improves clinical efficiency. With just a few clicks of the mouse, orthopedic surgeons can log on to Centricity PACS-IW, plan their surgeries with embedded TraumaCad tools, and then save those images and data right back into the patient's folder on Centricity PACS-IW. It's a self-contained unit that bridges the workflow gap."

In other agreements:

• Siemens Healthcare (Mountain View, California) reported that it would extend its strategic alliance with Biosense Webster (Diamond Bar, California) by opening up the Acuson AcuNav ultrasound catheter for use on third party ultrasound systems. In 2006, the two companies announced an agreement giving Biosense Webster the exclusive worldwide rights to distribute Siemens' Acuson AcuNav ultrasound catheters, as well as a co-development of the technology in the future.

The Acuson AcuNav ultrasound catheter provides electrophysiologists and interventional cardiologists with real-time diagnostic ultrasound images and Doppler blood flow information from within the heart. Cleared for marketing in 1999, Siemens said the intracardiac catheter is known for its "state-of-the art quality" and is currently the world's only cardiac imaging ultrasound catheter.

"We are pleased to open up the use of the Acuson AcuNav technology to other than our own ultrasound systems," said Klaus Hambuchen, CEO, Ultrasound, and Siemens Medical Solutions USA. "This will enable healthcare providers to improve the quality of care for an increased number of patients by coupling their ultrasound equipment with advanced intracardiac echocardiography [ICE]."

Introducing an open standard for the use of ICE means that this technology is available for a growing cardiac patient population with the goal of making the Acuson AcuNav technology a standard of care in electrophysiology and interventional cardiology.

• bioMérieux, (Paris; BIM), a developer of products in the field of in vitro diagnostics, and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND; Geneva, Switzerland), a Swiss non-profit foundation, have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly undertake development projects in the field of infectious disease diagnostics.

Over the course of a four-year affiliation, the two organizations aim not only to bring together their know-how and expertise in the development of new, more rapid diagnostic tests but also to strengthen laboratory infrastructures for the public health sector in high-burden countries.

• Premier Purchasing Partners (Charlotte, North Carolina) has awarded a group buy to GE Healthcare (Waukesha, Wisconsin) for diagnostic imaging products and point of sale service agreements, including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, cardiovascular imaging, molecular imaging, ultrasound, general X-ray, and bone densitometry.

The group buy program is available to acute and continuum of care members of the Premier healthcare alliance through June 29, 2008.

• The Sorin Group (Milan, Italy) and Greatbatch (Clarence, New York) reported the execution of a letter of intent that will leverage Greatbatch's eM-able technology in the Sorin Group's future cardiac rhythm management (CRM) systems.

Catherine Picard, VP of R&D at Sorin Group, said, "We are very excited by the opportunity to leverage Greatbatch's eM-able technology to accelerate our MRI program and deliver MRI conditional systems to patients and physicians worldwide in the shortest possible time."

Many patients implanted with a pacemaker or a defibrillator (ICD) cannot take advantage of an MRI scan, because energy from the scanner can change how a device controls the heart, damaging the device or injuring the heart tissue surrounding it.

MRI conditional approved devices are critical to allow patients with active implantable medical devices (AIMDs) to safely have an MRI for diagnostic evaluation.

The Sorin Group is a leader in the development of medical technologies for cardiac surgery, offers innovative therapies for cardiac rhythm dysfunctions, interventional cardiology and the treatment of chronic kidney diseases.

Greatbatch is a manufacturer of products used in implantable medical devices for the cardiac rhythm management, neuromodulation, vascular and orthopedic markets.

• Agilent Technologies (Santa Clara, California) and Signature Genomic Laboratories (Spokane; Washington) reported they have signed a long-term supply agreement in which Agilent will supply custom oligonucleotide microarrays to Signature and its customers based on the Signature-designed SignatureChip Oligo Solution (SignatureChipOS). Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The SignatureChipOS is designed for the detection of chromosome abnormalities in individuals with mental retardation/developmental delay, autism and congenital anomalies. The 105,000-feature, 60-mer microarray covers more than 150 syndromes, the subtelomeric and pericentromeric regions, and more than 500 genes in important developmental pathways.

Signature Genomic Laboratories, founded in 2003, said it was the first laboratory to provide microarray-based cytogenetic diagnostics with its proprietary SignatureChip and is the leader in providing microarray-based chromosome analysis.

• Roche Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) said that Quest Diagnostics (Indianapolis) has signed a multi-year agreement to use the COBAS AmpliPrep / COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 test for HIV viral load testing.

Doctors use the test information to monitor the effects of antiretroviral therapy by measuring changes in HIV-1 RNA levels, the company noted. Roche's newest HIV-1 viral load monitoring test is the first fully automated, real-time PCR test approved by FDA, according to the company.

• QuantRx Biomedical (Doylestown, Pennsylvania), a diagnostics company, reported an agreement with CytoCore (Chicago) to supply its PADKit Collection Kit to provide samples for cytology and human papilloma virus diagnostics, for the worldwide women's health laboratory market.

CytoCore said it also intends to add other QuantRx products as they are introduced to the market, the company said. QuantRx expects the agreement to positively impact revenue beginning this year.

CytoCore develops screening systems for early detection of gynecological cancers and sexually transmitted diseases.

• Quidel (San Diego), a provider of rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests, and Prodesse (Waukesha, Wisconsin), a biotech company developing molecular diagnostic reagents for a variety of infectious diseases, have agreed to jointly promote Prodesse's ProFlu+ multiplex molecular diagnostic test within the U.S. According to the company, ProFlu+ is an FDA 510(k) cleared, real-time PCR, closed tube test that simultaneously detects Influenza A, Influenza B and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Quidel said it would now have access to a new molecular product, particularly suited for the acute-care laboratory market. The ProFlu+ provides a complementary product to the Quidel QuickVue rapid influenza and RSV tests, the company noted. As part of the agreement, Quidel earns a fee for all product placements.