Philips is introducing its light-powered LumiGuide system, which the company is calling a "3D human GPS system."
The system, which is now available for specialized hospitals in Europe and the U.S., is powered by Fiber Optic RealShape (FORS) technology and allows doctors to navigate through blood vessels by using light rather than x-ray. Philips highlighted that the system was used for the first time to treat patients at Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands, followed by the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the U.S.
The company added that LumiGuide's radiation-free technology could make way for better treatment of complex aortic procedures. The system uses light reflected along an optical fiber inside a guidewire. This generates 3D, high-resolution, color images of devices, including off-the-shelf catheters, inside a patient’s body in real-time.
Philips is making its LumiGuide system available to specialized hospitals in Europe and the U.S. The system is guided by light rather than x-ray for complex aortic procedures. Image courtesy of Philips.
Philips issued a limited release of LumiGuide to nine aortic centers and highlighted study results for the more than 900 patients who have undergone aortic procedures. One site conducted a historic cohort comparison and showed a 37% reduction in complex aortic procedure time, as well as a 56% reduction in radiation exposure compared to x-ray.
Along with that, the company said that LumiGuide uses AI-based recognition to register the guidewire quickly, helping to increase accuracy while speeding up procedure time.
LumiGuide will allow Philips and clinical partners to gather more clinical data on the system's performance at existing sites in preparation for making the solution available globally. The company said that there are plans to make more devices available for guidance by LumiGuide.
