Medical personnel and patients safer thanks to the achievement of Polish engineers
PRESS RELEASE
The latest version of the Famed Flare operating table equipped with a carbon table top from Famed Żywiec offers a record-low translucency of 0.33mmAI*. Lowering the translucency parameter is associated with an 8% reduction in the radiation dose necessary to take X-ray images. The achievement of the company from Żywiec increases the safety of staff and patients participating in procedures during which X-ray imaging is used, e.g. cardiovascular surgery, neurosurgery, urology, orthopaedics or spine pain management.
Famed Zywiec is a pioneer in using carbon in medical equipment. It was one of the first companies in the world to use carbon fibre in the production of operating tables. The Polish company is also a record holder in the field of safety of the imaging table top. The latest version of the Famed Flare operating table – equipped with a carbon table top and dedicated to medical imaging – offers a translucency parameter of 0.33 mmAI*. The improved translucency parameter is associated with increased safety for medical and nursing staff.
– Carbon is the main material which we use in construction solutions of operating tables to improve the work of surgeons and radiologists. This breakthrough ‘technology of tomorrow’ meets the needs of the medical community, not only facilitating medical imaging, but also improving its safety, which is influenced by a lower radiation dose,» comments Marek Suczyk, Vice President of Famed Żywiec.
In the new Famed Flare, it has been reduced by 8% compared to the previous version of the table. Lowering the translucency parameter allows you to reduce radiation doses, which is important given the increased risk of radiation-related illnesses among doctors and nurses.
– This small, as it may seem, «saving» is particularly important e.g. during minimally invasive surgery and angiography procedures, during which up to several dozen X-ray images may be taken at one time. Each time this involves exposing the staff working on the procedure to radiation. At high intensity, the impact of radiation can be very negative and any improvement in the parameters means increased safety – says Michał Grossy, product manager at Famed Żywiec.
At the same time, despite the reduced radiation dose, doctors can count on clear and distortion-free images, and as a result make more confident diagnoses. – This aspect is also crucial, because the quality of X-ray images affects the accuracy of the diagnosis. Our solution also brings real benefits in this area. Famed Flare contributes to improving the working conditions of surgeons and radiologists,» explains Michał Grossy.
In the new version of Famed Flare, not only the table top and base, but also the column are made of carbon fibre.
– Carbon fibre is less susceptible to crushing or pressure than standard stainless steel used in components. The use of this material reduces the risk of damaging components of a mobile X-ray machine used during an operation in which things happen fast and valuable equipment can be unintentionally damaged,» comments Michał Grossy.
In 2018, the first version of the Famed Żywiec table was tested at the Grochowski Hospital in Warsaw. At that time, the team led by Prof. Piotr Kulakowski, MD, performed a number of operations and cardiac procedures on it, including the implantation of pacemakers and cardioverter-defibrillators.
– The comparison experiment we performed confirmed that imaging on the Famed FLARE table required a lower radiation dose than another operating table model that was the subject of the comparison. The reduced dose is essential for patient and staff safety during procedures, as it reduces the risk of radiation-related changes. Importantly, we have the impression that the lowered table translucency parameter and the reduced radiation dose did not interfere with the quality of X-ray images,» commented Professor Piotr Kulakowski, MD, from the Department of Cardiology, CMPK, Grochowski Hospital in Warsaw.
The comparison was performed on the upper limb of a patient with a fracture of the radius bone shaft, fused with an ORIF plate. The dose-measuring device, a GE Elite C-arm, indicated a dose to the Famed FLARE of 0.0077 Gycm2**, while the radiation dose to the imaging table being compared from another leading manufacturer was 0.0085 Gycm2.
*Any medical device between the patient and the X-ray machine makes a barrier to X-rays, which degree is determined by the parameter of translucency, expressed in millimetres Aluminium (mmAl) i.e. aluminium equivalent. An operating table with the parameter of 0.33 constitutes a barrier for the C arm in permeability equivalent to 0.33 mm of aluminium sheet according to the specified standard of its construction.
** Grey (Gy), unit of absorbed dose-the amount of radiation energy (in joules) absorbed by a kilogram of matter.