Royal Philips has unveiled the next generation of its Philips Azurion image-guided therapy platform with the intent to optimize clinical and operational lab performance.

Having originally debuted three years earlier, the new version of the Azurion system expands the role of image-guided interventions in the treatment of patients and is designed to reduce crowding and clutter in the interventional lab environment for greater focus and control, and smoother workflow.

"Healthcare providers face significant staffing challenges, and these can be particularly acute in the interventional suite due to the complex nature of the work — it's challenging to maintain a well-trained team," Ronald Tabaksblat, general manager of image guided therapy systems at Philips, told HCB News. "The new Azurion makes many previously complicated operations much more intuitive so that they can be taken on by more members of the team. For example, 3D imaging has always been perceived as complex and challenging to implement in the lab. We've made it much easier to both capture and view these CT-like images, even from the tableside."
"The integrated platform enables us to efficiently carry out complex interventions at any time using a wide range of functions such as IVUS and iFR co-registration,” said Dr. Med. Alexander Becker, head of the cardiac catheter laboratory at the Robert Bosch Hospital in Stuttgart, Germany, one of the first hospitals to experience the new platform, in a statement.

The solution integrates control of imaging, physiology, hemodynamic and informatics applications, and offers intuitive control of the gantry, at tableside. This allows clinicians to execute all compatible applications from a single touch screen while performing procedures, and eliminates the need for them to leave the sterile field to step into an adjacent control room.

Modalities like intravascular ultrasound and blood pressure measurements such as iFR can improve patient outcomes, but are challenging to combine into existing workflows. One new feature of the platform, IntraSight, provides a comprehensive suite of clinically proven iFR, FFR, IVUS and co-registration modalities. It enables fully automatic position control for clinicians to intuitively adjust the position of the gantry and table, as well as choose from a wide range of stored parameters.

In addition to providing faster support and better informed decision-making, the Philips Azurion image-guided therapy platform comes with a new 3D imaging solution called SmartCT. This guides users through the image acquisition and equips them with 3D visualization and measurement tools to interact with the acquired CT-like 3D images on the tableside touch screen module. These tools can be used in a range of clinical settings, including neurology, oncology, and cardiovascular procedures. For instance, they can be used to support 3D RA or Cone Beam CT during interventional exams, both of which have been shown to improve outcomes and reduce radiation exposure for staff and patients.

"The role of image-guided therapies continues to expand, increasingly replacing open surgery for the treatment of many diseases. This has a big positive impact on the patient experience, cutting hospital stays from weeks to days," said Tabaksblat. "And while most of today's image-guided therapy procedures treat cardiovascular diseases, our technology is opening up new opportunities to treat many other diseases in other parts of the body including the brain, lungs and spine. Azurion is powering the shift to minimally invasive procedures, helping clinicians to continually improve by optimizing established procedures and innovating new, more complex ones."

The new Azurion platform comes with advanced cybersecurity features, new high-definition image display capabilities, and advanced remote and proactive services.

It is available in three versions: the traditional Azurion 3 and Azurion 7 variants and now the Azurion 5 variant for more tailored solutions that meet specific customer needs.

SmartCT is 510(k) pending and not available for sale in the U.S.

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