Review of Carestream DRX-1

Carestream Health was founded in May 2007 with the purchase of Eastman Kodak Company’s Health Group by a private equity company called Onyx, of Toronto, Canada. Carestream Health began selling DRX-1 at the end of 2008 after developing the industry’s first cassette-size, wireless DR detector. Traditional DR is fast but expensive, since it requires replacing an entire suite of equipment.  A cassette-size DR detector not only allows facilities to use existing x-ray systems it also provides increased flexibility for positioning patients. There are about 200,000 x-ray rooms worldwide and about 93% of them were designed to take a standard 35 x 43 cm film or CR cassette. As a result, this system allows facilities to achieve the productivity benefits of DR at a very affordable price and avoid replacing all the equipment in the whole x-ray exam room.

•    DRX-1 fits into the 200,000 exam rooms  that have x-ray systems built to accept a 35 x 43 cm film or CR  cassette.

•    DRX-1 delivers positioning flexibility, which is especially important for trauma patients, and patients that are critically ill or have mobility issues. In these situations,  the radiological technician can see the preview image in about five to seven seconds to determine  if the image is acceptable, and then has the opportunity to reposition the patient or proceed to the next image in the series. With film or CR cassettes, the images must be processed and then technicians have to go back and reposition the patient to recapture any images that were not acceptable.

•    DRX-1 captures and presents preview images in about five seconds to expedite the imaging process.

•    DRX-1 increases throughput in the room by 2-3 x when compared to film or CR cassettes because image access is immediate.

•    With DRX-1, the image appears on the monitor in about 5-7 seconds.

•    DRX-1 comes with removable, rechargeable batteries so the detector can be used continuously. Each battery lasts for about 4 hours.

There exist portable detectors, but because they are not cassette size, they require replacement of the x-ray system—whereas the DRX-1 does not require retrofitting the room. The DRX1 is also wireless, while the existing portable detectors have cables that cause a tripping hazard and cannot be used in a sterile environment like surgery suites. DRX-1 is designed around maximizing productivity and cost efficiency.

The DRX-1 is designed to improve productivity for busy x-ray rooms  that are less than 10 years old. This new technology allows these environments to achieve the productivity gains and immediate image capture of DR without the expense of replacing existing x-ray systems.