by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | August 22, 2022
From the August 2022 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Chronos is finalizing paperwork to be compliant with new MDR standards for doing business in the European Union, and may be one of a few companies able to sell tubes in that market. It is also expanding in China with a manufacturing facility in Shanghai.
A lower cost, higher performance tube market is on the horizon
The current economic climate and supply chain disruption are testing many aspects of the healthcare ecosystem, and X-ray tubes are a part of it. Despite these challenges, there are reasons to be hopeful about the future of the industry.
According to Fitzgerald, there is a very real opportunity in the market for more affordable, longer-lasting tubes for serving lower-end CT applications and systems. Advances in X-ray detector technology mean that imaging can be done with less power and less dose for equivalent diagnostics. “Most manufacturers use a 3.5m heat unit compared to 5m or 6.3m heat unit a few years ago,” said Fitzgerald. “3.5m tubes are cheaper to make but get the job done.”
As the replacement tube market works to leverage the advantages afforded by new X-ray detectors for lower-end scanners, it will also be watching the market expand for high-end LMB tubes.
“As imaging departments continue to face tremendous pressure to keep healthcare accessible and reduce operating costs, long-lasting, high-quality alternative X-ray tubes are helping them reach their goals, and the demand for these tubes will increase in future,” said Stoeckmann. “Many CT scanners with LMB tubes are running out of warranty, and related service contracts with the OEM will be accessible for independent service providers in the future.”
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