syngo® US Workplace, version 2.0, offers a new application for cardiology: syngo Mitral Valve Assessment (MVA). syngo US Workplace is a breakthrough ultrasound platform solution designed to deliver advanced clinical applications and relevant patient information anywhere, anytime. It improves clinical workflow by empowering clinicians with the flexibility to perform their clinical applications off the system. From image manipulation to measurements, from analysis to diagnosis, syngo US Workplace seamlessly integrates workflow in any clinical environment, from small private offices to large hospital departments, maximizing their investment. Moreover, syngo US Workplace is designed to be a fully flexible and scalable clinical solution. It is highly effective at any level of complexity - from a simple PC in the reporting room to a large picture archiving and communication (PACS) system.

Siemens, the only provider of a mobile one-stop solution for urology, has extended its MODULARISTM lithotripter platform with the innovative MODULARIS Variostar. Its flexibility enables both under-table and over-table treatments. MODULARIS Variostar allows the physician to treat the patient quickly and securely, in a suitable supine position. Previously necessary and somewhat risky dorsal positions are now unnecessary. Furthermore, an entire portfolio of additional new features, such as advanced ergonomics or the motorized C-arm angulation, simplify daily procedures and allow for easier handling. The shock-wave system Cplus provides reliable therapy success. Combined with Siemens ARCADISTM C-arms, MODULARIS Variostar is able to connect the urology department with the hospital's network. MODULARIS Variostar's entirely new hand control eases every treatment. Almost all MODULARIS modules can be operated by the intuitive user interface. Shockwave parameters are easy to configure. Even X-ray C-arm angulation is activated simply by one click. Additional information, such as accumulative energy and the distance between the stone and the skin, can also be displayed. The system has an extension cable, specially designed for flexible operating from behind a lead glass wall or even from a separate room.

The anatomy of the patient's left atrium and the pulmonary veins are very important for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. Up to now, it was necessary to acquire preprocedural computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) images before performing ablations of cardiac arrhythmias in the electrophysiology (EP) lab. However, these images and the information they provide are often outdated because the morphology of cardiac vessels and chambers can change until a patient receives medical treatment. With the aid of syngo® DynaCT Cardiac, a new application from Siemens, CT-like images can for the first time be generated and reconstructed directly in the EP lab. The monitor in the examination room displays the latest 3D/4D images of the patients' heart condition and delivers valuable information for the further treatment process. The syngo DynaCT Cardiac images are produced and reconstructed on a flat detector card angiography system with rotational runs of the C-arm. Because the heart is in constant movement, projection images are acquired in similar heart phases to provide high spatial resolution. For this reason, Siemens has developed an electrocardiogram (ECG)-triggered recording mode. The 3D reconstruction includes retrospective ECG gating. The contrast-enhanced projection images are used for detailed 3D reconstruction or even 4D scene generation of the heart. More than two years ago, syngo DynaCT started in the angio suite and was used for soft tissue visualization during neuro, abdominal, or vascular procedures. Now, it is being transferred to electrophysiology for creating cross-sectional images of the beating heart.

Siemens, together with Professor Dietrich Wildung, Director of the Egyptian Museum in Berlin, Germany, and the National Geographic Channel have scanned the famous bust of former Egyptian Queen Nefertiti. The examination was part of an investigation conducted for a National Geographic documentary. The results, provided by the Siemens computed tomography (CT) system SOMATOM® Sensation 64, display a different picture of the former Egyptian queen. The limestone sculpture inside the bust shows an older woman with short, asymmetrical shoulders, a slender neck, and a few wrinkles around the mouth. This model was dressed in plaster to create the art treasure we know today. However, wrinkles on the plaster surface that do not appear on the limestone raise the question of how Nefertiti really looked. Wildung believes that the plaster surface has been created to show more individual features than the limestone core: "The limestone portrait is not very distinctive. The bust itself appears to be more individualized and shows fascinating features." The bust was first scanned 15 years ago. Then, it was discovered that there was a second sculpture inside the bust which showed the portrait of a woman. National Geographic wanted to repeat the experiment and scan Nefertiti again due to the tremendous progress that CT has made in recent years. Under heavy safety precautions, the bust of Nefertiti was brought to the Imaging Science Institute (ISI) of Medical Solutions. As part of the Charité Hospitals of Berlin, the ISI houses a SOMATOM Sensation 64 CT system, provided by Siemens Medical Solutions. It achieves a spatial resolution of 0.3 millimeters, making it possible to display the limestone structures more precisely and detailed than before. This is not the first time that Siemens has assisted to uncover secrets in archaeology. Two years ago, Siemens supported scanning the mummy of Tutankhamen, helping further archaeological research and development.

Based on experiences collected on more than 5,000 installed SOMATOM® Emotion, Siemens Medical Solutions has introduced a new generation of this popular computed tomography (CT) scanner. It meets the challenges of today's healthcare systems: Patients continue to expect higher diagnostic accuracy, healthcare institutions and physicians are being forced to reduce both time for diagnosis as well as unnecessary hospitalization. In both six-slice and 16-slice configurations, the scanner provides the physician with high image quality at the lowest possible dose. In addition, new workflow concepts and clinical applications increase efficiency, throughput, and diagnostic confidence. SOMATOM Emotion offers, for example, a practical storage box that holds all necessary accessories within easy reach, facilitating patient positioning. New computer-aided detection (CAD) tools automatically find and mark conspicuous structures. With its compact size, SOMATOM Emotion fits in rooms as small as 18 square meters, and is easy to install. In addition to these advantages, the system works reliably even under extreme conditions thanks to its robust design, which includes air cooling and a long-lasting X-ray tube. It also has the lowest connection power among all 16-slice systems. In addition, the slim gantry simplifies access to and positioning of the patient, also making the patient feel more comfortable. The basis for SOMATOM Emotion's reliability is a strictly controlled production process. Siemens also offers a special service: The Guardian Program™ proactively monitors system functions online. It detects deviations from the norm before problems occur. Due to its low acquisition costs, its long life cycle, and compact construction, this high-performance system is suitable for radiological practices as well as smaller hospitals. "With its fully revised SOMATOM Emotion, Siemens is providing cost-effective access to modern 16-slice computed tomography. As a result, we assist in providing patient care that remains at a high level while keeping costs low - features of major importance to healthcare today and tomorrow," says Bernd Montag, PhD, head of the Computed Tomography Division at Siemens Medical Solutions.

Siemens Building Technologies (SBT) achieves enduring energy savings for customers. The company analyzes the energy consumption of a hospital and detects where, and with which technical actions, energy could be saved. The money saved can either be reinvested or help customers reduce their expenses. Under the terms of a contract with the hospital in Kusel, Germany, owned by Westpfalz-Klinikum GmbH, SBT established a small block heat and power plant, which replaced the former 15-year-old energy system. The modernization helped achieve a reduction in energy consumption for hospital lighting, as well as the optimization of the existing air conditioning system. The block heat and power plant generates electricity and water. Through these measures, the hospital saves up to 26 percent of its previous energy costs per year. The production of energy not only reduces costs but also results in excess energy which is charged against external energy costs. All together, the hospital in Kusel cuts down on its CO2-emission by more than 1,000 tons per year - a reduction of 31 percent. Financially, the model offers definite budget savings and bank-independent financing. The possibility to save energy and the ability to then acquire modern medical equipment could also attract other customers. Currently, SBT is compiling an analysis for the University Hospital Homburg, Germany. An energy-saving project with Siemens could mean savings of an estimated 20 percent from previous annual energy costs.

A new field of study with an array of techniques to examine small animals began at the University Hospital Tübingen, Germany. According to clinical statements, the project is centered around a unique miniature magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system for mice and rats that will allow the hospital to evaluate the effectiveness of new medications. The new ClinScan 7 Tesla was put into use at the end of 2006 and has the potential to close the gap between clinical and preclinical research. ClinScan is an MRI scanner designed to further facilitate translational research 'from mice to men' in the field of preclinical and molecular imaging. It comes with animal handling accessories for high throughput, animal welfare, and monitoring. ClinScan is Bruker BioSpin, Ltd.'s, solution for an emerging market of research MRI systems that enables a direct and fast transfer of preclinical studies on animal models to clinical studies on humans. By virtue of a strategic alliance between Bruker BioSpin and Siemens Medical Solutions, ClinScan uses Siemens unique clinical user interface syngo®. Its operation is identical to that of Siemens MAGNETOM® systems with Tim® (Total imaging matrix-technology). The syngo user interface facilitates straightforward transfer of protocols from bench to bedside and vice versa. The application packages for animal MRI resemble the application packages for clinical MRI. This allows diagnostic methods and software programs, developed in research, to be translated into everyday clinical life. Sequences and protocols are optimized for specific needs in animal MRI. In short, a one-of-a-kind laboratory for preclinical imaging and imaging technology has been created in Tübingen.

Continuous blood monitoring has long been a concern for blood banks and donor services. Siemens and its partners Schweizer Electronic AG, and MacoPharma have developed a revolutionary tracking and tracing system based on radio frequency identification (RFID). RFID devices with an integrated digital sensor, memory, and a rechargeable battery will safeguard both the tracking of blood products from the donor to the receiver and accurate temperature monitoring. This will enable more security for future transfusions. The use of wireless chips for identification can almost eliminate the mismatch of blood conserves. Additionally, the system contains a temperature sensor which enables constant control of the cooling chain. Nowadays, some blood conserves have to be discarded due to a lack of temperature control. Due to increased demand for blood donations, blood is becoming more limited. Donated blood is first subjected to further processing in order to extract standard blood products, such as erythrocyte concentrates (red blood cells), platelet concentrates, and plasma. During the various steps of the process - including blood donation, processing, testing, distribution, storage, and transfusion - blood products and the RFID devices may experience different temperatures. What is more problematic is that the erythrocyte concentrates have a shelf-life of only 42 to 49 days, depending on the additive solution used. Blood plasma can be frozen and is still useable after a prescribed quarantine storing of no less than six months. Experts from Siemens located in Nuremberg, Germany, and Vienna, Austria, are now working on the development of RFID labelling for blood bags. RFID temperature recorders are attached to the blood bags and the temperature can be retrieved at any time through radio-based readers. As an additional benefit, the reuseability of the device ensures a cost-effective solution. The electronics have to withstand extreme conditions: At production and before reuse they have to pass a disinfection process; at conversion, the blood bags are centrifuged at a 5,000 fold acceleration of gravity, and sometimes they have to be irradiated. Once they have passed the endurance test, they must be examined for commercial use by admission boards at the end of the project. After successful tests in the Department of Blood Group Serology and Transfusion Medicine, Medical University Graz, Austria, and approvals by healthcare authorities such as the Ministry of Health in Austria and the Paul Ehrlich Institute in Germany, the blood bag system should be ready for commercial use in 2008.