In Preparation for the NFL Draft, Players Evaluated Using FUJIFILM's Diagnostic Systems

STAMFORD, Conn., April 13 /PRNewswire/ -- When college football's elite enter Radio City Music Hall on April 22 for the 2010 NFL draft it will be after much public analysis of their stats and accomplishments, including their performances at the annual NFL Scouting Combine held in late February.  Also important to a player's prospect of being drafted – and a key though lesser known part of the Scouting Combine – is the outcome of diagnostic tests including x-rays, MRIs and cardiac evaluations.  Software and equipment from FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA were instrumental in acquiring, viewing and sharing these medical studies.

Held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the NFL Scouting Combine puts players through a series of drills, tests and interviews with more than 1,600 NFL personnel including head coaches, general managers, scouts and doctors from all 32 NFL teams.  This seven-day annual job fair for prospective new NFL players also includes comprehensive physical evaluations coordinated by Methodist Hospital, part of Clarian Health.  Nearly 2000 imaging studies were conducted on more than 300 players, and then stored in Fujifilm's Synapse® PACS (picture archiving and communications systems), greatly facilitating access of the images to the 32 NFL teams and their physicians who quickly learned to use the Synapse computer workstations.  

"While a distinction we're very proud of, providing all the diagnostic imaging for the NFL is a considerable undertaking and so we need the most efficient and highly reliable systems," said Todd Stanley, Director of Radiology, Clarian Health Partners, Methodist Hospital.  "This was our first year using the Synapse PACS, and it proved to have faster transmission times, provided immediate access to reports, and even enabled us to enhance workflow with the ability to scan documents and patient histories."

In addition to the Synapse PACS, three Fujifilm XG5000 digital x-ray systems were used to acquire approximately 1600 general x-ray exams such as knees, shoulders, spines and extremities.  The XG5000 is Fujifilm's high performance system designed for the busiest environments, with throughput speeds up to 165 imaging plates (IPs) per hour and image previews beginning in as little as 11 seconds.  

"The efficiency and throughput of Fujifilm's digital x-ray was exceptional and enabled us to complete a record number of exams in the 25 years that Clarian Health has been involved in this endeavor," said Stanley.  "Plus the high resolution of the system and its ability to produce outstanding images was key, particularly when you look at the size of some of the players."

About FUJIFILM

FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc. has an extensive portfolio including diagnostic imaging products and informatics solutions to meet the needs of healthcare facilities in both outpatient and hospital settings.  The Synapse® brand of integrated products includes Synapse® PACS, Synapse® RIS, Synapse® cardiovascular and Synapse® women's imaging; it provides a complete Web-based solution for managing, storing and distributing images and information throughout all healthcare facilities.  Additionally, Synapse® managed services offers fault-tolerant solutions including PACS and RIS hosting, and disaster recovery.  FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA is headquartered in Stamford, CT.  For more information, visit www.fujimed.com.

FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, brings continuous innovation and leading-edge products to a broad spectrum of industries, including electronic imaging, digital printing equipment, medical systems, life sciences, graphic arts, flat panel display materials, and office products, based on a vast portfolio of digital, optical, fine chemical and thin film coating technologies. The company was among the top 25 companies around the world granted U.S. patents in 2009, and in the year ended March 31, 2009, had global revenues of $25 billion. Fujifilm is committed to environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship.  For more information, please visit www.fujifilmholdings.com.

© 2010 FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc.  

SOURCE FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc.