Surgical C-arms (Radiographic/Flouroscopic Units) bring new technology into the operating room and are now a necessary medical device for every surgery center and hospital. C-arms provide real time 3-D imaging that when combined with surgical navigation software serve as intraoperative planning tools for surgeons. Healthcare technology advancements, resulting in the increase of minimally invasive surgeries, make C-arm Rentals one of the most important medical devices in the hospital equipment rental industry.
What to consider when renting a surgical c-arm system
Choosing a surgical C-arm system for a surgery center, hospital or clinic is a tedious process. Like computers, surgical c-arms are technical devices that offer a variety of features. From basic functionality to extremely advanced operational controls that ninety percent of users will never enable. This is why finding a trusted hospital equipment supplier is critical. Below is a list of priority considerations when renting or purchasing a C-arm system as well as information about what to expect from different surgical c-arm manufactures.
The Worksheet:
First things first, always set up a worksheet. By establishing a worksheet one can outline and prioritize the steps needed in order to make a final decision. Here is an example list:
- Budget
- Procedures being performed
- Case load
- Patient type
- Required features
- Physician brand preference
Step one … set a budget:
When looking at buying or renting a surgical c-arm one’s budget must be at the top of the list. Surgical c-arms range in price from $10,000 and upwards of $200,000. Make sure the medical device you purchase fits within your budget as no one wants to adjust their case load or allow capital investment to effect their day to day operations. Having the most advanced, new piece of equipment in the office is not the goal. One should make sure the medical machine in question meets your surgical center’s needs.
If you’re planning on paying cash your budget is based on what you have available. When renting or financing a c-arm ones budgeting is based on affordable monthly payments. Make sure to budget a payment that will not disrupt cash flow.
Step two … Know what you are using the C-arm for:
Make sure a C-arm system meets your hospital’s needs. Do not fall in the trap of thinking you must have specific features, only to find out later they are never used for the types of procedures performed at your facility. When looking for a c-arm don’t let someone sell you on features you don’t need. If you’re doing pain management and someone is saying you really should get a 12” image intensifier or vascular software package then you’re simply being over sold and wasting your money. Make sure to only spend your money on appropriate features. KenQuest makes every attempt to listen to our customers and learn their business, in order to suggest the appropriate medical device package.
With that said also make sure you get the features you will need. If your trying to do cardio work and you don’t have CINE loop on your system you will find yourself quite frustrated , when the c-arm can’t perform the way you expect it to.
Step three …. Have an idea of how many cases and how often the system will be in use:
How often will your C-arm be used?
This is a very important step when picking the right c-arm for your facility because the answer to this question will eliminate a variety of potential c-arms from your list. While most modern day c-arm systems are capable of doing large caseloads daily, I personally like to tell customers to break c-arms down in two categories.
Large Caseloads & Normal Caseloads
The large caseloads category is for facilities that are doing more than 8 cases a day, 4+ days a week. For these types of surgical facilities a rotating anode x-ray tube is a MUST! The rotating anode x-ray tubes are able to deal with heat significantly better than stationary x-ray tubes. When your facility is doing case after case day after day, a c-arm with the rotating anode x-ray tube will significantly lower over heating issues, and require less maintenance. C-arm systems with rotating anode x-ray tubes can cost significantly more up front.
If you fit in the normal caseloads category then you can save a lot of money by selecting a system with a stationary anode x-ray tube. This can reduce the price of the unit significantly without sacrificing functionality or image quality. Often times people feel they have to have the rotating anode x-ray tube and in a lot of situations it is simply not needed.
Step four … Know your patient type:
When referring to patient type, I am strictly talking about size / mass. As mentioned in step 3 if you have a normal caseload you can select a c-arm with a stationary anode x-ray tube and save yourself some serious money. However there is one exception to this rule. If your facility specializes in bariatric treatment, you will want to consider the rotating anode x-ray tube. Besides better cooling it also offers more image penetration power compared to its stationary andode counterpart. When working with larger individuals the stationary anode x-ray tube c-arms can have problems producing a quality image due to having lower kVp and mA .
Step five … Know Your Required Features:
CAPPA C-Nav is an optical navigation system
As mentioned in step 2, a lot of people want all the fancy features they can get. I tell all of our clients to ask themselves 2 questions: 1) Will going without certain features hinder my ability to perform as a physician? And 2) Will adding these features make me more money?
Touch screen monitors, huge image storage disks, flat screen monitors, 12” Image Intensifiers, Larger software packages, printers if the system is equipped with DICOM are all features that you might want but are not necessarily required.
The key is to remember that every time you add a feature the price goes up and if it’s not increasing patient care, then it’s just something else to work off. My personal recommendation is to start by building a bare bones system, that will meet your needs. Then add on one or two additional options that make using the system easier. For example say you equip your system with DICOM, as an extra you might add on a Medicapture digital image capture device just in case your PACS system or the DICOM its self has an issue.
Step six … Know your physician’s brand preference:
I ranked this sixth as I truly believe that although brand preference is an important process when considering a c-arm it often leads to other manufactures being over looked simply because of the name.
Brand preference is important however as certain physicians have been trained using specific makes and models and get use to a work flow on that type of c-arm brand. Buying a c-arm brand that a physician is use to can reduce training time and result in a happier user experience.
Physicians that are tech savvy and love new gadgets are better candidates when trying out new brands as they are usually more comfortable with any learning curve associated with the new surgical C-arm system. For physicians that seem to resist change with respect to certain new technologies, I highly recommend sticking with a C-arm manufacturer that the physician is familiar with.
When it comes to selecting a surgical c-arm for rent or purchase, remember that the goal is to make your facility profitable while offering patients the very best healthcare. As mentioned throughout this article, often people get caught up with unnecessary bells and whistles that lead to inefficiencies on the business side of running a hospital. Without running an efficient and profitable surgical center one cannot continue to provide the best healthcare services. Spend the necessary time planning when entering the purchasing process in order to choose the surgical c-arm system that best meets the needs of your patients, physicians, and surgical center’s focus. ~Content provided by KenQuest Medical
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