Siemens Launches Dual Source CT That Uses Less Power

Siemens Healthineers will launch Somatom Pro.Pulse, pending US FDA 510(k) clearance, designed for smaller and rural facilities as well as outpatient diagnostic centers and providing lower lifecycle costs due to an improved cooling system and more efficient power consumption. According to the company, Somatom Pro.Pulse consumes up to 20 percent less power than its previous dual source systems.

“With our new advanced Dual Source CT scanner we aim to make this high-class technology available to more patients. CT exams performed on this system follow an intelligent and intuitive workflow appealing to various levels of experience. This enables standardization and reproducibility for clinicians and thus saves personnel capacities,” said Philipp Fischer, head of Computed Tomography at Siemens Healthineers.

“We are happy to finally be able to use this high-end technology in our facility. The clinical role of CT is expanding into a key player in early detection and therapy planning. Therefore, we need a high-performance system allowing exams for an even broader patient group. With Somatom Pro.Pulse, we are able to perform high quality cardiac imaging, and in other areas of radiology,” said Dr Quoc-Duy VO, head of radiology department in Morges Hospital, Switzerland. Dual Source computed tomography – CT scanners with two radiation tubes and detectors each – allows for very high temporal resolution. High temporal resolution and scan speed is important for CT scans of the heart, to limit image artefacts from breathing or motion of the heart. This enables scanning patients with various challenging clinical conditions, such as patients with high or irregular heart rates, inability to hold their breath or to stay still, as well as with difficulties following clinicians’ instructions. The use of tin filters keeps the radiation dose low while maintaining optimum image quality especially in clinical indications like ultra-low dose thorax scans for screening.

With the intelligent workflow of myExam Companion, Somatom Pro.Pulse significantly simplifies exams while personalizing scanning for each patient. myExam Companion combines patient data such as gender, height and age and collects information that is relevant for CT scans such as heart rate or breath-hold capabilities. The scanner then optimizes the scan parameters and tailors a patient-specific scan protocol. The FAST (fully assisting scanner technologies) 3D camera automatically performs precise and consistent patient positioning. Both features help reduce the time clinicians spend on routine tasks. With around 20 percent lower power consumption than previous Dual Source generations, the system is more sustainable and keeps running costs low.