Siemens Healthcare hopes to add to its list of firsts in the field of ultrasonography next year with the launch of what it says is the first wireless ultrasound system ever developed.

In 1953, Siemens technology helped record the first echocardiogram. In 1983, Acuson (acquired by Siemens in 2000) released the 128 XP, the first ultrasound to process images on a computer.

Now this Sunday at the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting in Chicago, the German conglomerate will unveil a system that features a wireless transducer that the company says could make it easier for providers to perform scans during operations or in other sterile environments.

The system, called Acuson Freestyle, lacks the cable all ultrasounds have that connects the scanning probe to the machine and which, the company said, can become contaminated during surgeries or get in the way of doctors. Siemens said it's marketing the technology for interventional radiology, operating rooms, anesthesia practices and emergency rooms — essentially, places where sterility is an issue.

"The cable can be a huge problem in keeping the field sterile," Jeffrey Bundy, the CEO of Siemens Healthcare's ultrasound business unit, told DOTmed News by phone.

The wireless transducer can be kept sterile by covering it with a replaceable sheath or by processing it between procedures, he said. Also, by being freed from a cable, the probe could be easier to move and cause less strain for the user, he said.

Developed by Penrith

The technology for the wireless system was developed by Penrith Corp., a company Siemens bought in August. At the time, Siemens wouldn't divulge why it bought the company but notably Penrith had previously filed patents for wireless ultrasound devices.

Bundy said Penrith already developed a working system that received Food and Drug clearance on Nov. 19, 2010. Siemens said it was in the process of swapping the approval to the new system to be released under their brand, which they hoped to have completed before RSNA.

"(Penrith) completed external clinical testing in a number of clinical sites around the world in the environment and with the applications that we'll be talking about," Bundy said.

Battery life and wireless specs

The transducer's rechargeable battery lasts for about 90 minutes of total scanning time. The system also comes with a spare battery pack that recharges at a charging station on the back of the system while the other one's working. "They're doing procedures just a couple of minutes long and turning the system off," Bundy said. "The whole point of these procedures is to get them done as quickly as possible."

Bundy described the development of the Acuson Freestyle as a "huge technical challenge" as ultrasound is a real-time modality where the device must process a large amount of data fed from the transducer. The developers also had to make sure the wireless signals transmitted from the device wouldn't interfere with signals coming from all the other wireless systems in the hospital.

"A big part of the approval process was proving that we were not affected by, and did not affect, the ambient environment," Bundy said.

He said the company developed its own wireless radio that communicates with the probe, and that the system uses a technology called wideband transmission, allowing it to use a higher frequency that's not influenced by the lower radiofrequency transmission of most other wireless hospital equipment. The Acuson Freestyle also has Bluetooth wireless control, so operators can interact with some of the user interface features remotely. "You can change gain, you can turn color on and off on the system, you can control that without having to reach for or touch a button on an ultrasound system," Bundy said. "That's another advantage from a sterile standpoint."

With a direct line of sight, the probe can operate 3 meters (9 feet, 10 inches) away from the main system, which means the user can scan a patient standing on the side of the bed opposite the ultrasound unit, Bundy said. The system has a 38-centimeter LED display, he said.

Coming soon

Currently, the system is installed at 15 clinical sites, although Siemens said it did not have permission to name them yet. The company expects the product to be commercially available by the middle of next year. Although it will be shown at RSNA, Bundy said Siemens would not be giving quotes at the show.

Like many OEMs, Siemens has a policy of not commenting on system price, but Bundy said it would likely be a "mid-range" unit. "We need to be competitive in the range of other hand-carried units in this kind of interventional environment," he said.

Siemens also wouldn't yet say if it plans to bring wireless tech to other units in its ultrasound portfolio. "I expect to be asked (that) dozens of times at RSNA," Bundy said. "You can bet behind the scenes we're thinking 'where do we bring this next'."