GE Healthcare has installed the first  Discovery IGS 730 system for hybrid operating rooms and imaging departments in France. It will allow performing complex minimally-invasive endovascular and percutaneous procedures on inoperable patients suffering from cardiovascular pathologies such as ruptured aorta aneurysms, fainting spells or cerebrovascular accidents.

“The Discovery IGS 730 is a true innovation allowing us to conduct complex minimally invasive hybrid procedures in a secure setting. With this technology we are treating 'high risk' patients unfit for open surgery. In a year, this technology will allow us to perform 500 complex aortic repairs in such patients. The majority of patients will have a reduced hospital stay and a quick return to normal activity. In addition, in terms of mobility/patient access and the ergonomics of the operating room, this is a huge step forward”, says Prof. Haulon, head of Vascular Surgery Department, University Hospital of Lille, France.

A Major Innovation Developed and Produced in France: Discovery IGS 730.
The hybrid operating room allows both open surgery and catheter-based imaging therapies to take place in the same operating room. The hybrid OR enables multiple physicians (surgeons, Interventionalist, nurses, anaesthesiologists, and technicians) to perform a new spectrum of minimally invasive therapies with the goal of ultimately enabling better patient care. These complex minimally-invasive endovascular and percutaneous procedures will allow discharging patients much faster (five days in comparison to an average of 10 days) and reduce patient rehabilitation.

“In designing the Discovery IGS 730, it was always our goal to provide the latest in interventional efficiency – with high precision imaging capability and exceptional in-room mobility. This solution aims to accommodate a wide range of minimally invasive and surgical procedures. Due to the technological innovation and the advanced application portfolio available, we hope it will allow our customers to explore and discover new ways within both the interventional and the operating room,” says Chantal Le Chat, general manager, Premium Angiography, GE Healthcare, Detection & Guidance Solutions.

The Discovery IGS 730 is a laser-guided, mobile gantry, a first-of-its kind in interventional imaging. The system is neither floor nor ceiling mounted and enables full patient access, creating an interventional environment without boundaries. It has the mobility of a C-arm with the power and image quality of a fixed system, allowing multiple parking possibilities, while helping maintain sterility for a flexible and secure OR environment. It is intended for oncology (hepatic and bone tumors), neurology (aneurysms and brain tumors), as well as cardiovascular patients (stent appositions). Discovery IGS 730 is the only x-ray angiographic medical imaging system with such mobility in the world.

Discovery IGS 730, the Outcome of a 32 Million Euro Investment in France.
In total, 12 international patents have been registered for this ground-breaking technological innovation. Discovery IGS 730 has been developed within the IRIMI project, a public-private partnership that involved several French laboratories and partially funded by the French government (IRIMI project).

“With the installation of the Discovery IGS 730 in France, our R&D factory of Buc (Parisian Region) has become the birthplace of a ground-breaking innovation in worldwide surgery. With this, our 420 France-based researchers have proven to be able to find technological innovations that allow new treatments, reduce risks for the patients and provide solutions for health professionals,” declares Robert Sigal, CEO, GE Healthcare France.

Officials at American National Carbide announce the launch of the Synergy line of indexable carbide turning inserts. Synergy’s state of the art carbide substrate, enhanced by the latest nano coating technology, is engineered to perform at the elevated temperatures that are common when machining superalloys. Synergy’s innovative design and proprietary post-coating treatment ensure optimal chip control while reducing cutting forces. From roughing to finishing, Synergy offers a total high temperature solution:

--Functional 100° roughing corner for enhanced productivity
--Coolant flow channel for efficient temperature regulation
--Positive ground land to reduce cutting forces
--Multiple obstructions for optimal chip control
--Helical land angle to resist DOC notching
--Mechanical post-treatment to reduce friction
--Post-coating surface grind for maximum stability
--Wide chip breaking range
--SG style for General Purpose
--SF Style for Finishing
--SR Style for Roughing

Officials at The DePuy Synthes Companies of Johnson & Johnson announce that Max Reinhardt has been named Worldwide President of DePuy Synthes Spine, a global leader in spinal care. Reinhardt has been with the company since 2002, most recently as vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

Reinhardt began his career with DePuy Spine in 2002 as director of Sales and Marketing in the U.K. Four years later he became vice president of Sales in the United States, and in early 2011, was named vice president of Worldwide Marketing. In 2012, when Johnson & Johnson completed its acquisition of Synthes Inc., Reinhardt was charged with helping to integrate the global spine divisions of both companies into DePuy Synthes Spine.

DePuy Synthes Spine has one of the largest and most diverse portfolios in Spine that includes traditional and minimally invasive devices and solutions for a wide range of spinal disorders. Headquartered in Raynham, MA, DePuy Synthes Spine is part of the DePuy Synthes Companies, which offer treatments and solutions that span joint reconstruction, trauma, spine, sports medicine, neurological, craniomaxillofacial, power tools, and biomaterials.
 

Officials at Sequent Medical Inc. announce the company has received CE mark for the VIA Microcatheter and is initiating commercial introduction of this new product family in select markets.

The VIA will be used for delivery and deployment of Sequent's WEB Aneurysm Embolization System, which is utilized to treat cerebral aneurysms. The VIA is currently available in two models, the VIA and the VIA PLUS.

"The VIA Microcatheter provides an optimal combination of properties for stable WEB placement, retrieval and navigability and will enable physicians to treat a broader range of aneurysm with the WEB," says PD Dr. med. Werner Weber, Head of the Department of Radiology and Interventional Neuroradiology, Klinikum Vest, Knappschaftskrankenhaus, Recklinghausen, Germany.

"Combined with planned additions to our WEB platform, the VIA demonstrates Sequent Medical's ongoing commitment to developing a broad portfolio of innovative catheter-based technologies for neurovascular specialists and their patients," says Tom Wilder, president and CEO.