One of the largest private clinics in Switzerland recently installed Philips’ Vereos digital PET/CT system along with its Ambient Experience solution.

The new install has already attracted worldwide medical interest at the Clinique de Genolier, according to Dr. Jean-Pierre Papazyan, specialist in nuclear medicine at the clinic.

Vereos is the first and only fully-digital PET/CT system available on the market. Analog PET/CT systems use photomultipliers to detect light, but Vereos uses Philips’ proprietary Digital Photon Counting technology to convert light directly to a digital signal with zero analog noise.
The system was developed in collaboration with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Its scan times are up to ten times faster than conventional PET/CT and it only uses about half the amount of radiation dose.

The Ambient Experience solution creates a relaxing environment for patients while they undergo the exam. It leverages dynamic lighting, video and sound to simulate a beach scene or display cartoons for children.

"It is known that patients can feel that they have lost control over their life because of their disease or medical condition," Werner Satter, general manager Philips Experience Solutions, told HCB News. "By giving patients personalized control of the theme that defines the color and intensity of the ambient lighting as well as the video and sound in the room, their involvement and engagement in procedures is enhanced."

Philips Ambient Experience designs are already supporting radiology, cardiology, oncology, and emergency departments, and are increasingly being deployed in new areas such as NICUs and ICUs. To date, more than 1,250 Ambient Experience solutions have been installed in hospitals in more than 50 countries.

The Clinique de Genolier is among the first five hospitals in the world to install the Vereos PET/CT. The global PET/CT market was worth $1.45 billion in 2016 and it’s expected to skyrocket to $2.1 billion by 2023, according to an Allied Market Research report from November.

Philips is producing and shipping the systems from its facilities in Haifa, Israel, Suzhou, China and Cleveland U.S.

The Cleveland facility was inspected by the FDA in the third quarter of 2017 and Philips has submitted its response to the inspectional findings for review by the agency. In the meantime, the company and the FDA held a constructive meeting.

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