Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) and B. Braun Melsungen today announced the launch of the Onvision ultrasound guidance solutions for needle tip tracking.

Onvision is designed to track needle tips in real-time during regional anesthesia. It is available on the latest version of the B. Braun and Philips Xperius ultrasound system and allows anesthesiologists to accurately position the needle in a patient’s body.

“Regional anesthesia is a rapidly growing alternative to general anesthesia and has the potential to improve patient outcomes as well as increase workflow efficiency in the hospital,” Philips image-guided therapy business leader Bert van Meurs said in a press release. “By combining B. Braun’s expertise in needle design with Philips’s capabilities in real-time image guidance, we’ve created a solution to one of the biggest challenges in regional anesthesia – accurate positioning of the needle tip in the body. Our alliance with B. Braun is a strong example of our commitment to partner with industry leaders to grow our footprint in the therapy market.”

B. Braun’s Stimuplex Onvision needles with Philips’s Onvision needle tip tracking technology show the position of needle tips in relation to an ultrasound viewing plane to an accuracy of better than 3mm, according to the companies. The needle features a sensitive micro-sensor and the processing and visualization techniques on the Xperius system show real-time location of the needle tip in relation to the 2D ultrasound viewing plane.

“Our customers want intuitive solutions that allow them to focus on the patient rather than the technology, so they can achieve the best outcomes. As demand for regional anesthesia grows, improved efficiency can also help reduce the pressure of an increasing workload,” B. Braun hospital care division board member Meinrad Lugan said. “Onvision is a perfect example of what can be achieved through shared expertise to meet the evolving needs of our customers, bringing regional anesthesia to more patients in more hospitals worldwide.”