Akron General Medical Center Acquires Both Brainsuite® iMRI and iCT - Brainlab Technology to be part of Neuroscience Institute

CHICAGO, June 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Brainlab, a manufacturer of software-driven systems for targeted, less-invasive medical treatments, announced today that Akron General Medical Center will install both Brainsuite® iMRI and iCT, making it one of only a handful of hospitals in the world to offer both solutions. Brainsuite iMRI and iCT integrate intra-operative imaging—from high-field MRI to multi-slice CT—with surgical navigation, planning and digital data management in the OR. The fully integrated neurosurgical suites will be an integral part of Akron General's new Neuroscience Institute.

"At Akron General, we are proud to be at the forefront of offering the latest technology and cutting-edge care for our patients," said Georges Z. Markarian, MD, Chairman of Akron General's Neuroscience Institute. "Our new neurosurgical suites are the next step in our continued development of Akron General as one of the area's preeminent leaders in neurologic and neurosurgical care."

"We are honored Akron General selected Brainsuite iMRI and iCT as the neurosurgical foundation of their Neuroscience Institute.  Akron General's leadership and commitment to world-class medical care embodies the intelligence and innovation behind Brainsuite and we look forward to the advancements in patient care that can result from these powerful systems" stated Sean Clark, President, Brainlab Inc.

Brainsuite iMRI masters the technological challenges of placing an MR scanner in the OR by digitally integrating all components. MR integration allows advanced intra-operative imaging sequences, such as DTI and fMRI. This supports surgeons during a procedure in identifying critical functional areas and pathways within the brain.

Brainsuite iCT integrates a multi-slice intra-operative CT scanner into the surgical workflow to provide surgeons with precise and up-to-date anatomical information during surgery. In cases where post-operative imaging would be relied upon, intra-operative information supports surgeons, like with iMRI, in ensuring that the objective of the procedure has been achieved. The integrated navigation system links real-time, intra-operative images with the spatial position of the surgical instruments. This is a key technology to allow for the possibility of a higher level of accuracy, potentially making surgery more precise and safer for the patient.

Brainsuite is powered by the digital data management system Brainsuite Net, which provides surgeons and OR staff intra-operative access to patient data from the hospital's Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) and controls the flow of all digital data within the OR Suites. A fully integrated OR can improve patient outcomes by providing surgeons with more access and control during complex neurosurgical procedures.

About Akron General Health System

Akron General Health System is a not-for-profit healthcare organization with the mission of improving the health and lives of the people and communities it serves. The health system announced last year that it was joining with a group of local neurosurgeons to establish a Neuroscience Institute to offer high-tech care closer to home.

Akron General Health System includes: Akron General Medical Center, a 511-bed teaching and research medical center, and Edwin Shaw Rehabilitation Institute, the area's largest provider of rehabilitation services; Akron General Partners, which includes Partners Physician Group, the Akron General Health & Wellness Centers, Lodi Community Hospital, Community Health Centers and other companies; Akron General Community Health Ventures, which includes Visiting Nurse Service and Affiliates, the largest and most comprehensive provider of home healthcare services in Ohio; and Akron General Foundation. Akron General has earned the prestigious National Research Corporation (NRC) Consumer Choice Award for 14 out of 16 years. Recently, Becker's Hospital Review named Akron General Medical Center one of the nation's top 100 hospitals. For more information about Akron General Health System, visit www.akrongeneral.org.

About Brainlab

Brainlab develops, manufactures and markets software-driven medical technology that supports targeted, less-invasive treatment.

Among the core products are image-guided systems that provide highly accurate real-time information used for navigation during surgical procedures. This utility has been further expanded to serve as a computer terminal for physicians to more effectively access, interpret and share diagnostic scans and other digital medical information for better-informed decisions.

Brainlab solutions allow expansion from a single system to operating suites to digitally integrated facilities covering all subspecialties from neurosurgery and spinal surgery to orthopedics, ENT, CMF and trauma and oncology. With more than 5,000 systems installed in about 80 countries, Brainlab is a market leader in image-guided technology.

The privately held Brainlab group, founded in 1989, is headquartered in Munich, Germany, and employs 1,070 people in 17 offices across Europe, Asia, Australia, North and South America.

Contact:
Priya Dua
323-762-2407
[email protected]

SOURCE Brainlab