Philips Reinforces Leadership in Image-guided Therapy Solutions with Global Launch of Next Generation Azurion Platform

Amsterdam (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Developed in collaboration with leading hospitals worldwide,
Philips Azurion
(https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/resources/landing/azurion)
is an innovative image-guided therapy platform that allows
clinicians to easily and confidently perform a wide range of
routine and complex procedures, helping them to optimize
interventional lab performance and provide superior care
- Azurion is powered by ConnectOS, Philips' newly developed
operating system to optimize system integration which features an
easy-to-use intuitive user interface combined with real-time
information on multiple work spots within the interventional lab

Royal Philips (http://www.philips.com) (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a
leader in health technology, today announced the global launch of
Azurion, its next generation image-guided therapy platform, which
forms the new core of its integrated solutions portfolio for the fast
growing image-guided therapy market. As a leader in this market,
Philips offers integrated solutions comprising interventional imaging
technologies and planning and navigation software combined with
interventional devices - including catheters for diagnosis and
therapy - and a broad range of services, all aimed at helping
clinicians to provide superior care at predictable costs.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/470877/Azurion_Therapy.jpg
)

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/470878/Azurion1.jpg )

Following the acquisition of Volcano (http://www.philips.com/a-w/a
bout/news/archive/standard/news/press/2015/20150217-Philips-completes
-acquisition-of-Volcano.html) in 2015, via which Philips has become a
leader in advanced catheters for diagnosis and therapy, the company
is now further cementing its overall leadership in the EUR 5 billion
image-guided therapy market with one of its largest global product
launches in recent years. Philips' Azurion image-guided therapy
platform for interventional labs is the result of a multi-year
development program conducted in close collaboration with leading
clinicians in the field. This next generation platform features a
state-of-the-art ergonomic design with an easy-to-use intuitive user
interface, enabling clinicians to swiftly and confidently perform a
wide range of routine and complex procedures in the interventional
lab.

With the rapid growth of image-guided therapy procedures,
hospitals and health systems are increasingly faced with the need to
control costs, while improving their standards of care. Azurion has
been designed to address these challenges and is equipped with new
workflow options and performance dashboards, as well as an upcoming
range of productivity improvement services.

Azurion is Philips' next generation image-guided therapy platform
and the new core of its integrated solutions portfolio. Azurion
supports a full range of configurations across a broad spectrum of
image-guided therapy procedures. These include configurations for
high volume routine procedures and flexible configurations for
advanced procedures. Harnessing vital procedural information from
various sources, such as imaging systems, interventional devices,
navigation tools and patient health records, Azurion provides
interventional staff members with the control and information they
need to perform procedures efficiently.

The Azurion platform also features over 1,000 new components,
including an enhanced flat-panel detector, and Philips' newly
developed ConnectOS operating system for the seamless integration of
real-time information from all relevant technologies in the
interventional lab. All of these components work together to deliver
high image quality at ultra-low X-ray dose and real-time image
processing on multiple work spots within the interventional lab.
Parallel working enables the team of clinicians to complete different
tasks simultaneously in the interventional lab, saving valuable time
without compromising quality of care. Azurion features procedure
cards that allow clinicians to pre-program routine tasks and user
preferences, helping to minimize preparation errors and further
reducing preparation and procedure time.

Philips has pioneered a steady stream of innovations in planning
and navigation software for areas such as vascular surgery (e.g.
VesselNavigator (http://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/product/HCNCVC
465/vessel-navigator)), interventional cardiology (e.g. EchoNavigator
(http://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/product/HCOPT08/echonavigator)
), interventional oncology (e.g. EmboGuide (http://www.usa.philips.co
m/healthcare/product/HCNCVC321/embo-guide)), and interventional
neuroradiology (e.g. AneurysmFlow (http://www.usa.philips.com/healthc
are/product/HCNCVC467/aneurysmflow)). All these advanced
interventional tools integrate seamlessly into the Azurion platform
to support the clinical workflow.

Driven by their benefits for patients and care providers,
minimally-invasive therapies, such as the catheter-based treatment of
certain tumors, aneurysms, obstructed blood vessels, heart rhythm
disorders and defective heart valves, continue to grow fast. In
addition to reduced patient trauma and shorter recovery times, such
procedures also have the benefit of allowing the treatment of
patients who would not be able to withstand the trauma of open
surgery. However, during such procedures, clinicians cannot directly
see and feel the organs they are working on. Effective imaging,
measurement and navigation technologies are therefore key to guiding
minimally-invasive procedures. At the heart of the interventional
lab, these technologies allow identification and visualization of
target organs and tissues, the operation of interventional devices,
and the placement of implants, leading to improved chances of therapy
success.

"For over 30 years, we've pioneered minimally-invasive treatments
that help our patients get back to their daily lives," said Barry T.
Katzen, MD, founder and Chief Medical Executive of the Miami Cardiac
& Vascular Institute, Baptist Health South Florida (U.S.). "The
imaging environment is critical to perform such procedures
efficiently and effectively. As an interventionalist, we want to be
in the cockpit, similar to a pilot in an airplane, where we have
control of everything we need and have all the relevant functions at
our finger tips. Philips' next generation image-guided therapy
platform just takes it to a whole other level and allows
interventionalists to accomplish the procedures quicker and more
efficiently, which benefits the patient."

"As a leader in image-guided therapy, we have been driving
continuous innovation to address rising patient volumes and increased
procedure complexity," said Bert van Meurs, Business Leader Image
Guided Therapy at Philips. "Hundreds of Philips developers, engineers
and designers and dozens of our clinical partners across the world
have collaborated to completely redesign the heart of our portfolio.
With the launch of our new Azurion platform, which was designed to
optimize system integration and lab performance, we can deliver new
turnkey solutions that support our customers in maintaining high
standards of quality and patient care at predictable costs."

"We are on an exciting journey to strengthen the Tampere Heart
Hospital's position as a Northern European center of excellence for
cardiac care," said Aki Haukilahti, Executive Vice President and CFO
of Heart Hospital, Tampere University Hospital (Finland). "As part of
our long-term strategic partnership with Philips, we have
collaborated on a turnkey solution based on the new Azurion product
family. With this solution, Philips provides us with advanced
technologies and an excellent user experience, combined with services
for guaranteed uptime, seamless integration into our hospital
workflows, staff training and education, and enhancement of our
productivity. This enables our staff to fully focus on what they do
best - providing superior care to our patients."

Click on this link
(https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/resources/landing/azurion) or
type http://www.philips.com/azurion in your internet browser to visit
the Philips Azurion website.

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health
technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling
better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and
prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages
advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to
deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the
company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy,
patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer
health and home care. Philips' health technology portfolio generated
2016 sales of EUR 17.4 billion and employs approximately 71,000
employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News
about Philips can be found at http://www.philips.com/newscenter.

ots Originaltext: Royal Philips
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Fabienne van der Feer Philips Image Guided Therapy Tel.: + 31 6
22698001 E-mail: fabienne.van.der.feer@philips.com Steve Klink Philips
Group Communications Tel.: +31 6 10888824 E-mail:
steve.klink@philips.com

Original-Content von: Royal Philips, übermittelt durch news aktuell