FUJIFILM SonoSite, Inc., specialists in designing cutting-edge ultrasound tools and world-leading education for access to point-of-care visualization, today announced CE mark approval for its newest generation of point-of-care ultrasound: the X-Porte™ Ultrasound Kiosk. Available in a stationary or a detachable use model, SonoSite will begin shipping the X-Porte kiosk effective immediately.
“Once again, our engineering team has achieved the creation of a remarkable new tool built from the ground up.”
"This is a major accomplishment for SonoSite and a defining moment in the next phase of our innovation strategy," says SonoSite President and CEO Kevin M. Goodwin. "Once again, our engineering team has achieved the creation of a remarkable new tool built from the ground up."
The X-Porte kiosk is an important milestone in SonoSite's ongoing effort to improve access to point-of-care ultrasound visualization. The kiosk was created to serve a broad spectrum of users, from novice to advanced, and represents an entirely new design and use paradigm for ultrasound.
The foundational advancement behind X-Porte is a new imaging technology never before used in ultrasound systems: SonoSite's proprietary Extreme Definition ImagingTM (XDI) technology.
XDI was created following 35 years of applied ultrasound research by the company's Chief Technology Officer, JJ Hwang. XDI significantly reduces visual clutter from side-lobe artifacts that affect all ultrasound imaging regardless of system size. "I believe this reduction in visual clutter sets a new bar in point-of-care image quality," says Hwang, who describes the XDI technology as "an entirely new way to create an ultrasound image. It allows the user to realize much higher resolution."
To maximize the utility of the XDI technology, X-Porte delivers optimum usability and interoperability through its groundbreaking visual learning guides. The kiosk integrates high-resolution ultrasound imaging synchronously with 3D animations that enable "any user, any time of day" to make the most of the operating the technology. These learning modules can be used simultaneously with live scanning to optimize in-the-moment performance and user consistency. Goodwin states, "The design genesis is aimed at enabling any and all members of a healthcare team—nurses, mid-level providers, and even a physician-hospital administrator—to be empowered to take advantage of X-Porte's high-performance visualization."
SonoSite partnered with world-leading product designers and experts in advanced automotive animation modeling and distance medical learning. To ensure maximized clinical efficacy, a consortium of expert physician educators contributed their expertise for each 3D application module.
The team was led by Henry Ford Hospital Chair of Surgery Scott Dulchavsky, MD, PhD, who has pioneered medical training tutorials for astronauts. Dulchavsky states, "We were excited to partner with SonoSite in taking this evolutionary step in real-time learning. X-Porte represents the successful convergence of our expertise in advanced animated tutorials with the latest in consumer-like ultrasound design. This is a great step forward onto the frontier of visualization through innovative point-of-care ultrasound education."
SonoSite's User-Experience Design Team also designed a unique, multi-touch, gesture-driven user interface comparable to those found in the consumer world. With personalization capability by any user, controls can be repositioned with the glide of a hand and without keys or buttons.
The highly cleanable, sealed user interface was designed with minimal crevices to facilitate optimal infection control. The glass surface has been tested against incidental spills and allows cleaning with a wide range of disinfectants without deteriorating the surface over time.
X-Porte was designed for optimizing user workflow and varied environments, with adjustable height and gesture-driven touchpad for use in a standing or sitting position. The kiosk's slender profile lends itself to easy navigation down corridors and alongside patient beds; it has a detachable use option for low-footprint environments. The X-Porte ultrasound core can be easily detached from the kiosk as well as simply upgraded though straightforward software updates or an engine exchange.
As with all SonoSite ultrasound systems, X-Porte comes standard with an industry-leading five-year warranty.
Goodwin further commented that SonoSite engineers worked side-by-side with hundreds of clinicians from the frontlines of medicine worldwide. "We combined their many insights with the most innovative consumer technologies available today, then we blended in our own inspiration from key engineers at our company," he says.
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