Siemens Healthineers has launched Somatom Pro.Pulse1, a dual-source CT scanner designed for smaller healthcare facilities, including rural and outpatient centers. It offers cost savings through enhanced cooling and improved power efficiency, making dual-source technology more accessible.
“With our new advanced dual-source CT scanner, we aim to make this high-class technology available to more patients,” says Philipp Fischer, head of CT at Siemens Healthineers. “CT exams performed on this system follow an intelligent and intuitive workflow appealing to various levels of experience. This enables standardization and reproducibility for clinicians and thus saves personnel capacities.”
Quoc-Duy VO, head of the radiology department in Morges Hospital, Switzerland, also spoke out about the device, commenting: “We are happy to finally be able to use this high-end technology in our facility. The clinical role of CT is expanding into a key player in early detection and therapy planning. Therefore, we need a high-performance system allowing exams for an even broader patient group. With Somatom Pro.Pulse, we are able to perform high-quality cardiac imaging, and in other areas of radiology.”
Dual-source CT scanners, featuring two radiation tubes and detectors, provide crucial high temporal resolution, which is essential for heart CT scans to minimize image distortions caused by breathing or heart motion, making it suitable for patients with challenging conditions like high or irregular heart rates, inability to hold their breath or stay still, and difficulty following instructions. Additionally, tin filters are employed to maintain excellent image quality while keeping radiation doses low, particularly in applications like ultra-low dose thorax scans for screening.
The myExam Companion workflow in Somatom Pro.Pulse streamlines exams and customizes scans for individual patients by integrating patient information like gender, height, age, and specific CT-related data such as heart rate and breath-holding ability to optimize scan parameters and create a patient-specific scan protocol.
Moreover, the FAST (Fully Assisting Scanner Technologies) 3D camera ensures precise patient positioning, saving clinicians time. The system also consumes 20% less power than previous dual-source models, making it more sustainable.
