Carestream Health announced an affordable new retrofit system that allows small to mid-size hospitals, urgent care centers, orthopedic offices and clinics to upgrade existing rooms or mobile X-ray systems from film or CR to fully featured digital radiography (DR). The CARESTREAM PRO Retrofit System is currently available for order in most countries and will begin shipping in November.

"This flexible retrofit system enables value-based healthcare providers to convert existing X-ray systems to a DR system at a very reasonable cost," said Mr Chandan Naphade, general manager - XRS business at Carestream Health. He added, "Facilities across the India can achieve higher image quality and gain rapid image access, which can help enhance patient care and boost productivity."

The PRO Retrofit System offers gadolinium detectors for general radiography imaging or cesium iodide detectors for dose-sensitive applications. Users have a choice of wireless or tethered 35 x 43 cm (14 x 17 inch) cassette-size detectors that will fit into an existing bucky or a 43 x 43 cm (17 x 17 inch) fixed* detector. Beam-detect mode eliminates the need for a cable connection to the generator, so image capture begins when the detector senses the X-ray exposure.

Wireless detectors enable a highly productive workflow with wireless transmission of images to the capture console, immediate image viewing and manipulation, and the ability to forward images from the console to printers or a PACS. An X-ray exam can be transmitted to a computer or laptop using the detector's access point, or the detector can be connected to a system control unit that provides a continuous signal to one or more detectors. Other options include a Carestream desktop or laptop console.

The PRO Retrofit system also includes pre-loaded Carestream VXvue image management software and an Image Suite mini-PACS module that offers Web-based patient scheduling, image review and reporting and flexible archiving solutions.