Value beyond specifications.

The two specialists are closer to the clinical site than any of the project members. With a confident disposition, they said, "We've cohesively incorporated our customers' voices." Let's explore what Tomoaki Shimada and Kengo Suga have done to understand customer needs.

Suga :
“Low dose. Low dose. Low dose.” The number of "voices" expecting further dose reduction has been increasing year by year. As a product specialist, I felt the importance and the high demand for dose-reduction every day.

Why is that? This is because the number of treatments performed under fluoroscopic guidance has been increasing. Not only doctors, but even nurses are increasingly involved in the procedure while staying close to the patient.

In this regard, I am absolutely confident because our RF system is popular for its ultra-low-dose capability and its brand. During the project, I asked many customers for high-level demands. This empowered us to value-added solutions to everyone by combining our strength of “ultra-low-dose” with the voices of our customers.

Shimada :
On the other hand, what if the image quality becomes poor due to the low dose? This is totally “putting the cart before the horse”. In other words, advanced imaging technology is indispensable to achieve low dose. As Suga mentioned, our low dose performance was highly evaluated by the First-Gen CUREVISTA.

By incorporating our experience and expertise into this fully remodeling project, a completely new image processing engine VISTABRAIN was born. Within which, we developed a frame interpolation technology called “IntelliFRAME”. This is a cutting-edge technology that interpolates (doubles) fluoro frames while detecting motion on the screen.

Suppose you lowered the pulse rate for dose reduction. At this time, turning on IntelliFRAME will smoothen the fluoroscopy by correcting the “direction” and “amount” of motion in real time on a “pixel-by-pixel basis”. Isn't it fantastic?

Suga :
Speaking of “dose reduction”, it is becoming more important especially in EndoTherapy, which sometimes takes a long time to perform. In such treatment, “improving the room environment” is one of the hot topics among doctors these days.

Many peripheral devices are placed in the endoscopic treatment room. The cables scattered on the floor creates a tripping hazard for staff. To reduce this risk, we installed video-signal terminals on both sides of CUREVISTA Open's table as a solution to eliminate scattered cables.

Shimada :
Another important thing in the treatment room is the "working space". Because many devices are lined up in the room, we focused on the "depth of the RF system itself", which is related to the working space for staff.

In the development of CUREVISTA Open, the depth was shortened about 20cm or more compared to the previous model^*1. In addition, it can be installed facing the wall. With a tabletop that never slides, the exhaustive space-saving design allows sufficient room for the patient bed to where previously only a stretcher could access.

• *1 Comparison with the First-Gen CUREVISTA

Shimada :
Prioritizing user experience in our product design, we looked beyond specification requirements to create added value for our users. One example is the intuitive design around the controllers. These may not dramatically advance medical practice itself, but the ergonomic enhancements in every single detail can optimize the flow and operational efficiency for the users.

Suga :
Another value-added feature of CUREVISTA Open is the completely fixed tabletop, which cannot be seen in the specification sheet. But think about it. This will serve as a safe and a stable way for administering treatment, because there is no need for medical staff to slide the tabletop when moving the field of view. Moreover, there is a large space on the backside of the table, making it easy to for staff to go around. Although, these features do not appear in the data sheet, they reflect a truly patient-centric and staff-focused design.