News | Press Releases

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April 28, 2009

PIEDMONT HOSPITAL INSTALLS FIRST TOSHIBA INFINIX SYSTEMS WITH NEXT GENERATION ADVANCED IMAGE PROCESSING

Next Generation AIP Improves Visualization and Patient Safety During Interventional Procedures

TUSTIN, California — April 28, 2009 — Increasing its ability to provide patients with the highest quality of care, Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta has purchased four Infinix™ CF-i systems from Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. All four systems will have Toshiba’s Next Generation Advanced Image Processing (AIP) capabilities. Now available on theInfinix-i series systems, Toshiba’s Next Generation AIP improves patient safety and diagnostic confidence by increasing accuracy and visualization during exams.

“Toshiba’s Infinix system with Next Generation AIP technology, combined with the rotational digital acquisition feature provides a high resolution view of the heart in one acquisition reducing contrast use and allowing decreased diagnosis time and greater confidence regarding the selected treatment plan,” said William Knapp, MD, interventional cardiologist, Piedmont Heart Institute, Piedmont Hospital. “Furthermore, the integrated live zoom feature during fluoroscopy and digital acquisition aids in more accurate device deployment.”

Recently introduced at the 2009 American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions, Next Generation AIP improves resolution and visualization for interventional procedures, including cardiac, by providing clearer, sharper images and enhanced system utilization, all of which are important features for today’s cath lab. Providing images with more detail during fluoroscopic intervention enhances device guidance and deployment creating safer, faster exams for the patient and clinical team.

“Next Generation AIP is ideally suited for today’s healthcare environment by improving accuracy and patient safety during exams,” said Robert Micer, director, X-ray Vascular Business Unit, Toshiba. “This proprietary feature increases visualization and enhancesworkflow in the cath lab, which is critical for high-volume facilities serving large and diverse populations, such as Piedmont Hospital.”

Toshiba’s Infinix CF-i systems offer unprecedented patient access with a floor-mounted C-arm five-axis positioner that allows head-to-toe and fingertip-to-fingertip coverage. The freely moving components, ergonomically friendly design and five-axis positioner enable physicians to obtain optimal angles for cardiac diagnosis and interventional procedures without re-positioning the patient.

About the Piedmont Heart Institute

The Piedmont Heart Institute (PHI) is the first integrated cardiovascular healthcare delivery program affiliated with a community health system in greater Atlanta and is headquartered on the campus of Piedmont Hospital, a 481-bed tertiary care facility offering all major medical, surgical and diagnostic services. Offering a continuum of patient care, including primary and secondary prevention, outpatient and inpatient cardiovascular care, and appropriate quality measures and metrics to demonstrate enhanced outcomes, PHI combines renowned cardiologists and the 162-bed Fuqua Heart Center of Atlanta to propel new programs in cardiovascular research, education and excellence in prevention, arrhythmias, coronary and vascular intervention, stroke and cardiac imaging. PHI is part of Piedmont Healthcare (PHC), a not-for-profit organization that also includes Piedmont Fayette Hospital, a 143-bed acute-care community hospital in Fayetteville; Piedmont Mountainside Hospital, a 42-bed community hospital in Jasper; Piedmont Newnan Hospital, a 143-bed acute-care community hospital in Newnan; Piedmont Healthcare Philanthropy, the fundraising arm; the Piedmont Physicians Group, with more than 90 primary care physicians in 30 offices throughout metro Atlanta; and the Piedmont Clinic, a 563-member physician network. For more information, visit www.piedmontheartinstitute.org.

About Toshiba

With headquarters in Tustin, Calif., Toshiba America Medical Systems markets, sells, distributes and services diagnostic imaging systems, and coordinates clinical diagnostic imaging research for all modalities in the United States. Toshiba Medical Systems Corp., an independent group company of Toshiba Corp., is a global leading provider of diagnostic medical imaging systems and comprehensive medical solutions, such as CT, Cath & EP Labs, X-ray, Ultrasound, MRI and information systems. Toshiba Corp. is a leader in information and communications systems, electronic components, consumer products, and power systems. Toshiba has approximately 198,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of $77 billion. For more information, visit www.medical.toshiba.com.