System Offers Enhanced Video Capacity and New Networking Capabilities in a Smaller, More Affordable Device
PLEASANTON, CA, April 12, 2007 – Clarity Medical Systems, maker of advanced imaging and data-capture systems for the ophthalmology market, has introduced the RetCam Shuttle™, a transportable version of the company's highly successful RetCam II for imaging infants' and children's eyes.
The RetCam is already in use in many major eye and pediatric hospitals in the U.S. and internationally. Now the technology is increasingly being employed among a wider range of sites and applications, which has created a need for a more maneuverable, more versatile system. The Shuttle was designed to meet this need. At one-fourth the size and weight of the full-size model, the Shuttle can be easily moved between areas of the hospital. In addition, the Shuttle readily fits into an SUV for transport between sites, if necessary. The Shuttle also comes with a networking function that allows users to readily transfer images to their institution's network for easy electronic transmission or viewing at another location.
"The Shuttle is designed to maximize up-time for the machine," said Mike Napier, Clarity's vice president of sales and marketing. "This system can be wheeled anywhere it is needed in the institution or doctor's office, it can be moved between locations, it can be networked for easy transfer of images to a physician down the hall or across the country, and all with the same exceptional picture quality that has made the original RetCam the emerging standard in pediatric ophthalmology."
Another advantage of the Shuttle is that it offers more real-time video recording capacity than the larger model. With this feature, users can select the best still shots from a video capture. Given that the RetCam is generally used to examine awake infants who can hardly be counted on to remain still, more recording time gives even less experienced operators a good chance of capturing good diagnostic images.
Together with these features, the Shuttle comes at a price that is 25% lower than the original RetCam.
"The Shuttle is a perfect option for us," said Gilda Miller, RNC, BSN, director of the neonatal intensive care unit at Citizens Medical Center in Victoria, TX. "We'd been thinking about purchasing a RetCam for some time because we see digital imaging as a must-have to provide optimal eye screening and evaluation for our premature infants. The features of the Shuttle, together with its more affordable price, made it a convincing choice for both the clinical staff and hospital administration."
Benefits of Digital Imaging
RetCam technology enables high-resolution, digital imaging that is unavailable through any other method in the pediatric population. The RetCam is most commonly used to evaluate premature infants for a potentially blinding eye disease called retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). In this disease, babies must be examined multiple times over several weeks or months to determine how the condition of the eye is changing. Many leading retinal specialists view the RetCam as the gold standard for ROP screening because it is the only way to obtain objective, detailed images that can be precisely compared from one exam to the next to track the health of the eye over time. The sole alternative is to rely on inexact, hand-drawn drawings by the examining physician, an old-fashioned though still often used method.
The digital imaging of the RetCam also enables remote evaluation, so that the clinician no longer needs to be at the infant's bedside to evaluate for ROP. This has led to the introduction of telemedicine screening networks around the country, whereby babies are kept in their local hospitals and images are sent to an offsite screener for expert assessment. Such networks are important because there is a growing number of premature babies who require screening for ROP and a shrinking pool of qualified physician screeners. Now with the availability of the Shuttle, it will be easier for smaller, community hospitals to acquire and adopt this technology.
"The technology is relatively easy to learn and use, and the NICU staff fairly quickly becomes comfortable and proficient in imaging these babies," said Helen Mintz-Hittner, MD, an ROP specialist at the University of Texas Houston Medical School who performs telemedicine screening for several hospitals including Citizens. "The bottom line is that for improving ROP screening, whether it be in terms of assessment and diagnosis, effective documentation, or access to clinical expertise no matter where the patient is, the RetCam is the best option for evaluating infants for ROP."
In addition to ROP, the RetCam is used in the diagnosis and documentation of retinoblastoma, a childhood eye cancer, and to diagnose shaken baby syndrome in cases of suspected child abuse.
About Clarity Medical Systems (www.claritymsi.com)
Clarity Medical Systems is a privately held medical technology company that develops, manufactures and markets integrated optical systems and services to enhance the clinician's ability to diagnose, evaluate and treat eye disorders. The company’s patented devices combine innovative optical, electronic and information technologies that change the very nature of how eye healthcare is delivered. Clarity’s flagship product is the RetCam™ II Digital Imaging system, which has revolutionized the standard of ophthalmologic evaluation in infants and children. The RetCam is being used by leading medical centers worldwide, including the foremost U.S. children’s hospitals. Clarity is also developing a full line of advanced products and services for adult eye healthcare. The company expects to introduce the first of these offerings at the end of 2007.