OSF HealthCare Grows Pediatric Imaging Capabilities

To expand ultrasound capabilities in its radiology department and offer safe, less invasive imaging to its pediatric patient population, OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center purchased an Aplio^TM i800 ultrasound system from Toshiba Medical, a Canon Group company. OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, part of OSF HealthCare in Peoria, Ill., will use the system for general pediatric imaging, as well as in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois and explore new capabilities for the future.

“We needed an ultrasound system that offered exceptional resolution and image quality to clearly see small parts on pediatric patients, such as a 1-2 mm tendon as well as detecting subtle testicular blood flow in a premature infant. The Aplio i800 allows us to do that,” said Eric Bugaieski, pediatric radiologist, OSF HealthCare. “We’ve been able to do better neonatal imaging than ever before, and we are still exploring new clinical applications where we can use the Aplio i800, including more MSK imaging, contrast-enhanced ultrasound studies and elastography of the liver.”

“The Aplio i800 has boosted our pediatric imaging capabilities and allowed us to use ultrasound over more invasive modalities, such as X-ray,” said Cindi Gibbs, RDCS, RDMS, RVT, lead pediatric sonographer, OSF HealthCare. “We are also enjoying the specialty probes that are excellent at imaging a wide range of pediatric patients, no matter their size or age. Additionally, Toshiba Medical was there every step of the way, helping our staff learn how to use the system by setting up presets and protocols to help improve workflow and make exams more efficient.”

The Aplio i800 is a powerful ultrasound solution that is ideal for shared service departments with high patient throughput, like OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center. iBeam, a new beam-forming technology, increases resolution, and the system offers advanced clinical applications, including an ultra-high frequency transducer (24 MHz). The system also comes with advanced visualization technology, including Shear Wave elastography and Superb Micro-vascular Imaging (SMI), as well as intuitive ergonomics to boost productivity with iSense.

“We designed the Aplio i800 ultrasound, part of the Aplio i-series platform, to help health care providers to see more, focus more and do more on a wide range of different patient populations with a less invasive and more cost-effective solution,” said Dan Skyba, director, Ultrasound Business Unit, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. “By expanding the use of ultrasound, we can help our customers deliver quick and efficient diagnoses.”