Philips Medical Systems leading sponsor of Arab Health Congress 2007

Highlights include the first Ambient Experience Catheterization (Cath) Lab to be showcased in the region, as well as key products from a broad range of modalities. These include the iU22 ultrasound system, which helps clinicians to shorten exam times, and the clinician's workspace for the Achieva 3.0T X-series MR system, which includes magnet, gradient and RF advancements.

'The portfolio of solutions we've brought to this year's Arab Health demonstrates our commitment to providing better access to healthcare, for anybody, anytime and anywhere it is needed,' said Kevin Haydon, executive vice president and CEO of Philips Medical Systems Global Sales & Service International. 'By providing leading technology solutions that fit seamlessly into the care cycle, we're improving workflow, enabling clinicians to focus on improving patient care.'

Demonstrating the value of Ambient Experience/h3>
For the first time at Arab Health, Philips will showcase the Ambient Experience Cath Lab. Illustrating Philips' vision of thinking 'beyond the system' by combining design elements with smart Philips technologies, the Ambient Experience Cath Lab's unique design helps eliminate unnecessary physical barriers in the imaging suite for better patient and staff interaction, reduced clutter and improved workflow.

One hospital that installed an Ambient Experience CT suite in 2005 recently reported on its positive impact. John Anastos, D.O., chairman, Department of Radiology, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, USA, reported that the Philips suite has helped Advocate Lutheran significantly reduce sedation rates for some of its youngest patients: 'It's been over a year since we installed Philips Ambient Experience in our pediatric CT suite. In that time, we have achieved a 16 percent reduction in the rate of sedation for children under the age of 18, and a 28 percent reduction for children under the age of four.'

The Ambient Experience Cath Lab provides a comforting and calming atmosphere for patient as well as staff. During interventional procedures like those that take place in a Cath Lab, many patients experience significant stress. A pleasant environment with personalized lights, themes and music, as well as technology designed to look more like part of the natural surroundings, is designed to facilitate patient relaxation and cooperation with clinical staff.

Philips iU22: reducing ultrasound exam times by 30 percent

New technologies included in the Philips iU22 ultrasound system are helping clinicians shorten exam times, expand the clinical utility of volumetric imaging and provide new tools for interventional procedures. Customizable protocol-driven exams have been clinically proven to reduce some ultrasound exam times by as much as 30 percent and improve exam consistency and accuracy across the department. iSLICE intelligent slicing technology uses volumetric datasets to provide progressive views of anatomy with one sweep and helps clinicians quickly find the best views for diagnoses. New image enhancements are optimizing needle visualization for faster, less invasive biopsy procedures making the iU22 a comprehensive solution to assist in planning, guiding and assessing liver tumor ablations.

Integrating cardiac care

At Arab Health Philips will be showcasing the latest release of the Philips Xcelera cardiovascular information solution, Xcelera R2.1, which integrates examination results from across the cardiology subspecialties, allowing cardiologists to access images and patient information from across the cardiac care cycle at one location.

Philips Xcelera R2.1 also boasts a variety of new or enhanced clinical and reporting tools for 2D and 3D Echo, cardiovascular X-Ray, nuclear cardiology, 2D and 3D cardiac CT and MR, as well as for managing electrophysiology recording and mapping information. In addition, Philips Xcelera WebForum enables practitioners to securely access information from both inside and outside the hospital, compare the data of patients assessed in different locations and share information within their clinical communities.

Breakthrough PET/CT system delivers improved lesion detection and patient comfort

Philips will be showcasing unprecedented clinical results from its GEMINI TF (time-of-flight) PET/CT system, now available in a 64-channel CT configuration. GEMINI TF marks the world's first commercially available time-of-flight PET/CT system, in which gamma rays are more accurately tracked using extremely precise time measurements.

Philips is presenting an innovative leap forward in positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) hybrid scanners with the new GEMINI TF 64-channel configuration. The system extracts the true benefits of time-of-flight imaging by enhancing small lesion detectability, shortening scan times, reducing patient dose and delivering exceptional image quality in oncology, cardiology, neurology and molecular imaging.

Raising effective image sensitivity by more than two times over conventional PET, the GEMINI TF shortens image acquisition to less than 10 minutes for a whole-body PET scan, even for larger patients who previously needed much longer scan times. Consistent with all GEMINI PET/CT systems, GEMINI TF also features Philips' patented OpenView gantry design, allowing for increased patient comfort.

Most compact 3.0T MR and SmartExam provide ease of use and comfort of 1.5T

The new Philips Achieva 3.0T X-series MR system features new X-series technology encompassing magnet, gradient and RF advancements which provide enhanced performance and a larger field of view. The Achieva 3.0T X-series allows clinicians to conduct routine to advanced imaging across all clinical applications on a system that is as comfortable, compact and easy to use as a 1.5T. Furthermore, the new Achieva 3.0T X-series will be available in a mobile configuration, the first and only one of its kind in the industry.

With features like 2K Imaging, 4D-TRAK, SENSE, FiberTrak, SENSE Spectroscopy, and DWIBS (diffusion-weighted whole body imaging with background body signal suppression), the Achieva 3.0T X-series provides the high speed and resolution clinicians need to quickly and accurately assess results. Philips Achieva 3.0T X-series also features SmartExam, allowing newer users to get expert results with one-click planning, scanning and processing.

The Philips Ambient Experience pavilion will be located in Hall CE18. Many products from the Philips portfolio will be featured at the Philips booth - Hall 3- Booth 3F20 - at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Center during Arab Health Exhibition and Congress 29th January- 1st February 2007.