GE Healthcare expands Caring MR Suite functionality

GE Healthcare and manufacturing partner PDC have announced plans to expand their line of Caring Magnetic Resonance (MR) Suites with new features.

New editions of the systems for 2013 will include designs specific to GE's Extremity Optima 430s MR scanner, with the ultimate aim of making the scanning process more comfortable and calming.

Patients can choose one of 16 artfully selected themes combining mood lighting, visual scenery and musical backgrounds before they undergo an MR exam, reducing stress by placing them in control of their environment.

Moreover, users can also connect their iPad or iPod to the system to select videos, photos or music from their personal collection that can be played during the MR exam.

Jacques Coumans, chief marketing officer of GE Healthcare's MR division, said: "We believe that patients who feel at ease during the MR exam because they can influence their experience will be more cooperative and require less rescans."

Last week, the company announced the launch of a new positron emission tomography/computed tomography scanner called Discovery PET/CT 610, which is billed as the most sensitive of its kind.