By Kurt Woock
A monitor that delivers clear, accurate, and bright images is technically sound. But if the person who needs to view it can’t easily access the monitor itself, the strength of the pristine image is lessened. Monitors that are hard to see or hard to move can cause logistical hiccups—nothing big enough to call it a major problem, but significant enough that, over time, users become less productive. Two new products on the market aim to make the entire image delivery system better. Quest’s new battery-powered mobile video cart allows monitors to be wheeled wherever they are needed, the high-definition video signal carried wirelessly. EIZO’s new RadiForce RX840-MG allows multiple medical images, including digital mammography, MRI, and ultrasound, to be displayed on a single monitor. These new products represent an approach to imaging that doesn’t end at the screen—it lasts until the end users have the efficient access they need.
Quest International AlphaView AVC2F4P-CART 
Quest International Inc recently released its AlphaView battery-powered mobile video cart, the AVC2F4P-CART. The totally self-contained surgical display system, ideal for cath labs, features a 32-inch, 2.3 megapixel medical-grade HD LCD on a heavy-duty mobile cart. The cart can accommodate monitors that range in size from 19 inches to 55 inches. Battery-powered, the unit can be wheeled by one person to wherever it is needed. Under typical operating conditions, the AVC2F4P-CART will power a 32-inch LCD monitor for up to 8 hours between charges.
Being mobile allows for greater flexibility in facilities. “Until now, surgical displays were typically mounted to booms or towers,” said Shawn Arshadi, president and CEO of Quest International. “With the AlphaView Battery-Powered Mobile Cart, that valuable asset is now able to move where it’s needed, when it’s needed.”
The AlphaView mobile video system ships with: a medical-grade 32-inch HD LCD; heavy-duty rolling cart; foot-pedal controlled, height adjustable mounting column; 76.8-Ah lithium-ion battery pack; and a 60-GHz HD video receiver and transmitter, which allows users to receive wireless reception up to 10 meters from the video source. Users have the option of adding an articulating arm to fine-tune the position of the cart and monitor.
The 32-inch display produces HD images and has a 1,300:1 contrast ratio, delivering the image quality needed in surgical settings. Its 178-degree viewing angle allows for a wide range of use, and the anti-reflective protective overlay allows for reliable use in high-light environments. The monitor is fully compatible with most HD video camera systems.
EIZO RadiForce RX840-MG
Using different monitors for different exams can be cumbersome, space consuming, and expensive. The RadiForce RX840-MG from EIZO intends to change that. The RX840-MG is a multimodality monitor for simultaneously viewing multiple medical images, such as digital mammography, MRI, and ultrasound images all on one unobstructed screen. EIZO’s newest offering, it is the first color monitor cleared by the FDA for mammography and general radiology applications.
The RadiForce RX840-MG features an 8-megapixel multimodality widescreen color monitor. When using the RX840-MG, there is no longer a need for separate workstations or monitors for viewing mammography images. Mammography, cardiology, and radiology images can all be displayed on the same monitor without separate color displays for CAD, ultrasound, or other color modalities.
The RadiForce RX840-MG features an LED backlight, which brings with it improved stability and longer lifetime, especially compared to conventional CCFL backlights. The system provides automatic processes, such as the Hybrid Gamma function, which distinguishes whether images are monochrome or color, and it then displays each image in optimum brightness and grayscale tones. Each monitor allows for dual screen display, and with the monitor’s integrated front sensor, calibration is easy. The RadiForce RX840-MG comes with a full 5-year warranty.
