Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) announced today that the millionth procedure performed with its Azurion image-guided therapy platform took place at GZA Ziekenhuizen in Antwerp, Belgium.
The Azurion platform was introduced in February 2017 and has since been adopted by hospitals around the world, according to a news release. Its image-guided therapy is performed through a small incision and guided by technologies including X-ray and ultrasound.
GZA Ziekenhuizen thoracic and vascular surgeon Dr. Benoit Thomas carried out the millionth procedure, using the Azurion on a patient being treated for a popliteal artery aneurysm. The patient received a small endovascular stent graft to strengthen the vessel walls.
According to Philips, most image-guided therapy procedures today treat cardiovascular diseases, but it is expanding into treating diseases in the brain, lungs and spine.
“Minimally-invasive image-guided procedures are widely regarded as the answer to treating more patients, more quickly and at lower cost,” Philips image-guided therapy systems GM Ronald Tabaksblat said in the release. “Working together with clinicians, we use our comprehensive portfolio of interventional imaging systems, smart devices, software and services to treat one patient every second worldwide. The success of Philips Azurion is testament to the strength of the next-generation platform and our strategy of continuously innovating procedures to make them more effective and efficient.”
“I’m proud to have treated the millionth patient with the Azurion, as this system has helped us to improve our workflow and improved the staff experience,” added Thomas. “A real benefit of the Azurion is that we can use previous diagnostic scans and reduce the amount of radiation for patients and staff. We also see an improvement in image quality and a decrease in procedure time due to the setup of the platform and the bedside control-panel.”