Photo courtesy of humanfactors.ca
If you’ve ever been to an orthopedic center or have been to a cardiologist’s office, you may have heard a nurse, doctor or assistant talk about a mobile C-arm. The question is: What the heck is it? Fortunately, the experts at Ziehm Imaging have put together an overview of the popular medical device which we’ve summarized below:
What is a mobile C-arm?
A mobile C-arm is a medical imaging device that is based on X-ray technology and can be used flexibly in various ORs within a clinic. The name is derived from the C-shaped arm used to connect the X-ray source and X-ray detector to one another.
Since the introduction of the first C-arm in 1955 the technology has advanced rapidly. Today, mobile imaging systems are an essential part of everyday hospital life: Specialists in fields such as surgery, orthopedics, traumatology, vascular surgery and cardiology use C-arms for intraoperative imaging. The devices provide high-resolution X-ray images in real time, thus allowing the physician to monitor progress at any point during the operation and immediately make any corrections that may be required. Consequently, the treatment results are better and patients recover more quickly. Hospitals benefit from cost savings through fewer follow-up operations and from minimized installation efforts.
How does a mobile C-arm work?
A C-arm comprises a generator (X-ray source) and an image intensifier or flat-panel detector. The C-shaped connecting element allows movement horizontally, vertically and around the swivel axes, so that X-ray images of the patient can be produced from almost any angle.
The generator emits X-rays that penetrate the patient’s body. The image intensifier or detector converts the X-rays into a visible image that is displayed on the C-arm monitor. The doctor can identify and check anatomical details on the image such as blood vessels, bones, kidney stones and the position of implants and instruments at any time
KenQuest Medical is Leader in C-Arm Market
KenQuest Medical is recognized as leader in the surgical c-arm rental market. The nation’s largest independent retailer of surgical c-arms to both end users and dealers, KenQuest Medical offers all major brands such as G.E./OEC, Ziehm, Philips, Siemens, Genoray, Hologic, Orthoscan and more.
For more information or to view a list of available products, click here.
