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FEATURE: MEDICAL AV


The Boulogne-sur-Mer Hospital Centre has equipped its operating theatre with NEC 46in displays to improve the viewing of PACS images and videos


[KEY POINTS]


DICOM section 14 specifies the performance characteristics of displays used for medical diagnosis


The majority of clinical diagnostic machines are supplied with OEM displays


Picture of health


With demand for high-quality AV kit growing in the medical sector, Steve Montgomery assesses the possibilities for professional AV system integrators in the sector and the implications of working in that field


THE ABILITY to present clear and accurate images is nowhere more important than within the medical world and the move from film representation of clinical investigations to digital display is surely the most profound and critical of all applications for electronic displays. X-ray machines have been used in medical imaging applications since 1895. Together with later clinical diagnostic imaging systems, such as ultrasound and MRI, over 5 billion still images have since been made. More recent developments in invasive, endoscopic, investigation techniques using sub-miniature cameras and fibre optic tubes has resulted in a massive growth in demand over the past two decades for the highest quality digital displays. As a result, manufacturers of premium displays have invested heavily in the design


28 July 2014


and marketing of clinical- quality displays for a wide range of applications within the medical industry. Understandably, all clinical


‘Gaining the trust and


confidence of hospital staff is a long-term process of


relationship building and understanding clinicians’ needs and


methodologies’ Steve Wood, Parity Medical


procedures are tightly regulated; the relevant standard, adopted worldwide for the handling, storing, printing and transmission of medical images is Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM). This covers the management of images in a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) which is the common technology recognised globally for image handling within hospitals and other clinical establishments. Its purpose is to ensure that images can be viewed at the same level of detail by specialists throughout the medical chain, no matter where they are or how the digital images had been transmitted to them. DICOM is an extensive standard covering the full


gamut of digital imaging, storage and communications. Section 14 is relevant to display devices, covering the characteristics and calibration of displays and, alone, is a 55-page, highly technical, document. DICOM section 14 compliancy is mandated for displays used in clinical diagnosis. The handful of large specialist manufacturers, including GE, Siemens, Agfa, Philips and Carestream, that supply complex radiology instruments integrate or re-badge displays designed by Eizo, Barco, NEC or NDS Surgical Imaging under OEM arrangements and deliver a complete solution. In the majority of cases, that solution also includes installation by manufacturers’ teams and is not an area in which third parties are generally involved. Contracts for supply of diagnostic machines are


Multidisciplinary team (MDT) rooms and lecture/training areas offer opportunities to professional AV installers


4K displays are highly attractive in the medical market due to enhanced image resolution


Customer relationship building is an essential element for integrators hoping to win business in the medical sector


struck between the specialist providers and the hospital’s (or other establishment’s) in- house radiology department for dedicated and complete systems. Beyond that, there is considerable scope for further system adaptation and customisation by third- parties; areas that are too diverse or of insufficient size and value to interest the main supplier.


“Modality equipment suppliers tend to focus on their specific offering and its application,” explains Alistair Holdoway, managing director of Video South. “There are many areas within the clinical areas in hospitals that require bespoke solutions to suit their areas of specialisation. Doctors may need to combine different assessment technologies to understand the complete picture; fluoroscopy and ultrasound for example, and these offer opportunities for integrators who can combine the outputs


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