Siemens Installs India’s First Ultrasound System with Wireless Transducers at K.G. Hospital, Coimbatore

Siemens Healthcare successfully installed India’s first ultrasound system with wireless transducers at K.G. Hospital. The installation provides a significant boost to availability of latest technology and healthcare innovation.

In operating theatres or interventional environment, transducer cables have always been a
cumbersome necessity in ultrasound imaging. Not only are they an impediment to fast and
ergonomic examination procedures, but they also present an infection control risk in sterile
interventional settings, even when they are covered in sterile sheaths. Acuson Freestyle is the
solution to these problems – it eliminates the cables and also helps the user to operate the
transducers up to three meters away from the system without compromising the sterile field,
providing a more ergonomic environment for physicians.

“Siemens is a pioneer in ultrasound imaging and the wireless ultrasound system is a result of our continued contribution towards innovation. In Acuson Freestyle, removal of cables has made a significant difference enabling an ergonomic environment for physicians in operating theatres or interventional environment, further helping them to make better treatment decisions,” mentioned Mr. Kailash Yagnik, Head - Clinical Products Division, Siemens Healthcare, India.

Dr. G. Bakthvathsalam, Chairman, K.G. Hospital (a 350-bedded NABH accredited), comments “At K.G. Hospital we aim to provide world-class imaging service at affordable rates. This will enable a vast majority of our population to receive the benefits of international standard diagnostic services and we are convinced that the Siemens Acuson Freestyle solution will help us achieve this objective.”

Three wireless transducers are available for the Acuson Freestyle system, covering a range of general imaging, vascular and high-frequency applications such as musculoskeletal and nerve imaging. The user can operate the transducers up to three meters away from the system, which includes an ergonomic interface that enables remote control of scanning parameters from within the sterile field. The Acuson Freestyle system has a 38-centimeter, high-resolution LED display. The system console can be mounted easily on a lightweight cart. It operates on very high frequency and very low power so it won’t interfere with other equipment. One of the benefits of low power is that the battery life is high as the consumption is relatively low. The system can be operated for 90 minutes with one battery. All the batteries are rechargeable and interchangeable; it has an alternate battery if the current one gets depleted.

Wireless transducers can also expand ultrasound into new and emerging applications, such as administering nerve blocks, enhancing vascular access, and improving target localization through ultrasound guidance during therapeutic interventions and biopsies.