News | Press Releases

December 2, 2009

TOSHIBA INTRODUCES NEW HYBRID CATHETERIZATION TABLE FOR FIVE-AXIS CARDIOVASCULAR X-RAY LINE

Hybrid Catheterization Table Provides Unprecedented Patient Access and Function to Create a Best-in-Class Hybrid Suite

CHICAGO, Dec. 2, 2009 - Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. has introduced the CAT-880B, a new hybrid catheterization table, for its five-axis Infinix™-i cardiovascular X-ray line. Toshiba will feature the new hybrid table at this year's Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting, held in Chicago, Nov. 29 - Dec. 4 (Booth #5629, South Hall).

The new integrated hybrid catheterization table offers head-to-toe tilting and side-to-side cradling to meet the needs of both interventionalists and surgeons during hybrid intervention. Combining the new table with the unparalleled patient access and coverage achieved by Toshiba's Infinix-i five-axis X-ray systems creates a best-in-class hybrid lab unmatched in the industry today.

Dr. John Cheatham, director, Cardiac Catheterization and Interventional Therapy, and Dr. Mark Galantowicz, chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery, both of The Heart Center of Nationwide Children's Hospital, are recognized for pioneering the hybrid approach to treat congenital heart conditions. Both physicians worked with Toshiba engineers to design the new table and evaluated the prototype to ensure it met their needs in a real-life hybrid setting. Today, Nationwide Children's is the first site with this hybrid catheterization table in use at its hybrid cath lab.

"Using this new hybrid catheterization table in conjunction with Toshiba's bi-plane five-axis cath lab is the final piece in creating a premium hybrid suite," explains Dr. Cheatham. "The table is uniquely designed to meet the individual needs of both interventionalists and surgeons. It allows them to perform the same functions used in their respective home environments - the operating room and the cath lab - together in a single hybrid suite without any sacrifice in patient access, ergonomics or efficiency."

When working on patients in a hybrid setting, it is critical the imaging system provides outstanding image quality, as well as the flexibility to reach ancillary equipment and the patient quickly and easily. The new hybrid catheterization table features a 550-pound table weight limit, making this table ideal for a range of patients, from pediatric to bariatric. It also allows for angulations of up to 16 degrees in all four directions and offers the lowest table-top height of any catheterization table in the industry. The 75-cm table height is particularly important for open surgical procedures, as it provides ultimate patient access and physician comfort, regardless of the procedure being performed. With the new table, Toshiba's Infinix-i five-axis X-ray systems are designed to accommodate endovascular catheter based techniques, open surgical settings or a combined hybrid approach, for procedures including hypoplastic left heart syndrome and intraoperative stent therapy.

"Patient access is critical for endovascular, open surgical or hybrid cath lab procedures because it allows physicians to complete the exam more easily and more comfortably," said Robert Micer, director, X-ray Vascular Business Unit, Toshiba. "The CAT-880B hybrid catheterization table is designed to create the ideal hybrid cath lab when combined with our Infinix-i five-axis X-ray systems."

The table is currently available on all five-axis Infinix-i systems and will be available for other Infinix-i configurations in the near future.

About Nationwide Children's Hospital

Ranked in U.S.News & World Report's 2009 "America's Best Children's Hospitals" and Parents magazine's 2009 top 10 "Best Children's Hospitals" lists, Nationwide Children's Hospital is one of the nation's largest not-for-profit freestanding pediatric healthcare networks providing wellness, preventive, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative care for infants, children, adolescents and adult patients with congenital disease. A medical staff of nearly 900 and a hospital staff of 6,500 provide state-of-the-art pediatric care for more than 750,000 patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital is one of the top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded freestanding pediatric research facilities. Nationwide Children's remains true to the original mission since its founding in 1892 of providing care regardless of a family's ability to pay. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.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 corporation is a worldwide leader and in technology, electronic and electrical products, digital consumer products, electronic devices and components, power systems, industrial and social infrastructure systems and home appliances. Toshiba was founded in 1875 and today operates a global network of more than 740 companies with 199,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing $73 billion. For more information, visit Toshiba's web site at www.medical.toshiba.com.

*Infinix is a trademark of Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation.

*This news release introduce the products showcase at RSNA 2009. Some products are marketing only for US.market. Please ask your sales representatives in your country.