Veterinary Digital DR X-Ray JPI Directvet System

Veterinary Digital DR X-Ray System Package Deal

Regardless of healthcare professionals' skills and experience, the quality of medical care patients receive will only be as good as the equipment used. This applies not only to human beings and their doctors but to animals and veterinary healthcare practitioners. NewVetEquipment is the proud supplier of high-quality veterinary equipment and is pleased to offer the DirectVet Plus full Veterinary Digital X-Ray System.

Here's a closer look at what this system has to offer

DirectVet Plus X-Ray Table

Veterinarians have to handle pets and animals of all sizes, which means that the x-ray table they use needs to withstand the weight of larger animals. This 32x54-inch system can support more than 300 pounds of weight at a time, and the generator arm is designed to move back and forth over the subject. This makes the system capable of handling the x-ray needs of animals as large as ponies with relative ease.

CubeX 28 X-Ray Generator

CubeX is well-known and respected for its high-frequency, portable generators for veterinary and medical use. These x-ray generators are lightweight and compact. Veterinarians will be pleased with the CubeX 28 due to its user-friendly digital displays, simple design, and soft-touch controls. It comes with two-stage, dynamic auto-line compensation, dual integrated laser pointer, and an easy-to-use inverted control panel that makes it compatible for use with a table. 

CareRay Cesium Flat Panel Detector

CareRay Digital Medical Systems is an industry leader in developing, researching, and manufacturing x-ray flat-panel detectors. This system comes with the 17x17-inch cesium flat panel detector that is packed with exceptional performance features, including:

• High-definition filming: The high levels of detail these panels can produce make it possible for veterinarians and radiologists to diagnose tuberculosis, inflammation, tumors, and more. Experts will observe and make judgments regarding the biliary tract, abdomen, and urinary tract. These panels also facilitate skeletal viewing, muscular system observations, foreign body identification, and trauma diagnoses. 

• Image and Video Playback functionality: It comes with a playback function that allows you to save and review videos that highlight the motility and morphology of the organs in the gastrointestinal tract.

• Visual contrast functionality: Barium-based imaging is often necessary for the x-raying and observation of the esophagus, angiographies, enemas, sinus fistulas, and other circumstances where observations need to be made compared to surrounding tissues.

• Large-format perspective functionality: Veterinarians will be able to get a clear view of the pulsation of the heart and respiratory movement of the subject's lungs. This is made possible by the wide format of the flat panel's 17x17-inch layout. These clear and comprehensive radiographic images make the need for multiple imaging and repositioning unnecessary.  

• Easy integration: These flat panel x-ray detectors are easy to configure and integrate with whatever system you're using. This broad system compatibility will make the operator's or technician's life much easier. 

All CareRay Digital flat panels are fully FDA, CFDA, CE, and ISO13485 certified and are widely used in the veterinary, medical, security, and industrial fields in various capacities. They are highly durable pieces of equipment made out of aluminum alloy and carbon fiber housing.

ExamVue PAC Software 

The proper software has to be put in place to support the function of this system in an office setting. ExamVue has developed its simple, fast, and user-friendly software, with a very convenient diagnostic function. ExamVue PAC is server-based, and it comes with a series of advanced specialty tools, including line profiles, freehand, rectangle, polygon, and histogram. Image annotation is also made possible via user text, length, cobb angle, angle, and R/L mark.

Smaller practices and more extensive operations are accommodated by the system, with the capability of supporting up to 10 separate viewers. It has unique features and capabilities, including image stitching, importation, comparisons, processing, storage, and communication. It will work well with any DICOM DIR or Q/R compatible devices.

Host Computer Workstation

Buyers have the option of choosing a laptop or desktop computer as the host workstation. Whichever the case, this piece of equipment will have the computing power and processing muscle to handle high volume and high-complexity operations. The desktop host is an i5-6500 processor with 16 GB RAM and 2 Terabytes of storage with a 3-year warranty. The acquisition laptop option is a ThinkPad E580 running on an Intel Core i7 processor with 8GB RAM and 500GB of storage. These specifications, however, might be subject to change. 

5-Year Warranty and Easy Payment Plans

Acquiring the equipment to run a veterinary and radiology service properly is a significant investment. It can be a hurdle for many trying to establish new offices or expand their current operations. To help clients acquire the equipment they need, they may choose between one-time payments or make reasonable monthly payments. 

All the equipment that comes with this system is covered under a 5-year warranty, with 5-year drop coverage and software support included. The DirectVet Plus System offers peace of mind to all who choose to make it a part of their operation.

Take note that you may qualify for a deduction on capital equipment purchases under section 179 of the current Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax codes. Your potential deduction might allow you to treat the full cost of new equipment and software as a deductible expense whether you purchase cash, capital lease, loan, or an Equipment Finance Agreement (EFA). Further information may be found on the IRS section 179 portal. 

Final Thoughts

The DirectVet Plus Digital X-Ray System is an effective solution for veterinarians looking for a convenient, powerful, and user-friendly way to handle their x-ray needs. It is a system that doesn't need any additional power supplies, construction, or preparations. It is a self-contained veterinary digital x-ray equipment system that will be ready for use as soon as it's delivered, making it an excellent choice for veterinarians in the process of establishing their practice. Visit NewVetEquipment.com to place your order or have any questions or concerns you might have addressed.

Written by: Rachel Best

5 Tips to Improve Efficiency With Radiographs

Efficiency can increase a veterinary practice’s income by allowing more patients to be seen or more procedures such as radiographs to be performed.

Additionally, it may lead to an increased average charge per patient—which can improve a practice’s bottom line while delivering excellent patient care.

When it comes to radiographs, here are five ways to increase efficiency…

Start With the Best Equipment for Your Practice’s Needs

Having good, well-functioning equipment can really make life easier for a veterinarian and their team. After all, slower machines and image processors can increase the time per shot. And equipment that’s not operating at its best may lead to frustrating retakes—or even to rescheduling a procedure.

To maximize the usefulness of radiography equipment at a veterinary practice, start by taking an inventory of which equipment is there, including: generator, table, plate or cassette, film processor or digital image software, etc.

Next, evaluate each piece of equipment with the following questions:

• How is the equipment functioning right now?

• If not working well, can repairs or maintenance solve the issue—and what is the cost?

• Is there any routine maintenance due to be performed?

• Does anything need to be replaced—and is it the whole system, or just one specific component?

• Would an upgrade improve efficiency? For example, upgrading from film to digital x-rays can save a lot of time that would otherwise be spent processing films.
  

  Develop Standard Protocols and Techniques

If certain procedures are performed infrequently or don’t have a standard set of protocols to follow, this may lead to confusion, inconsistency, or errors—all of which can waste time and cause frustration.

To make things more efficient, it helps to have standard protocols for team members to follow, which have been properly explained to them. Protocols may include:

• Specific instructions for patient positioning for different radiographic views, such as thorax, hip, spine, etc.

• Guidelines for effective patient restraint while minimizing the staff’s exposure to radiation. For example, be sure the team knows how to properly use positioning aids such as sandbags and tape. 

• If patients are sedated, be sure to have a minimum standard for patient monitoring, with prepared monitoring sheets a team member can easily pick up and use for their monitoring notes.

• Have a standard technique chart, or make sure the team knows how to properly set up an x-ray study using a digital program that automatically sets technique. This includes explaining how to measure a patient in the position in which they will be radiographed.

  Have the Right Resources Available for Radiographic Interpretation

This may include textbooks and other references for what is normal on each radiographic view and what is not. 

Access to a second opinion can also be very valuable. Try to create a collaborative environment where veterinary colleagues within the practice can help each other discuss and interpret radiographs. Consider subscribing to an online forum such as the Veterinary Information Network (VIN), where a vet can post their radiographs for a second opinion. Or, consider using a teleradiology consultation service with veterinary radiologists.

Practice Makes Perfect

Efficiency in taking and interpreting radiographs will improve over time, with practice. So even if fitting more radiographs into a busy schedule feels time-consuming at the beginning, it will get to be second nature over time. 

The same is true with x-ray image interpretation—many vets become faster and more proficient with practice. Also, be sure to study the radiographs of normal patients, to gain a thorough understanding of all the different ways normal anatomy can look in different sizes and breeds of veterinary patients.

Plan for Conversations With Clients

If pet owners are unsure about proceeding with radiographs—especially when sedation is required—the conversation can take up a lot of time for veterinarians and their team members. By planning what to say and gaining comfort with these conversations, time can be saved while providing patients with the care they need. Also, clients may feel more comfortable if everything is explained in just the right way.

Efficient x-ray conversation techniques may include general principles for good communication (active listening, empathy, non-verbal communication, etc.), as well as proactively discussing the answers to commonly asked questions and concerns. For example, explain how sedation not only makes the radiographs more detailed and accurate—it also makes the procedure less scary and more comfortable for a dog or cat.

Putting all these principles together, a veterinary team may find the whole x-ray process becomes more efficient. This is good for team morale, as it helps to keep the day running as smoothly as possible. It can also increase a practice’s bottom line over time while providing excellent care for patients. For all these reasons, it’s usually well worth it for a veterinary practice to invest in radiographic efficiency!

Written by: Dr. Tammy Powell, DVM

Radiographing Reptiles: Helpful Key Tips and Techniques

If you work with lizards, snakes, tortoises, or other reptiles, x-rays are an important diagnostic tool for these patients.

So, how does the process of radiographing reptiles differ from dogs and cats? Here are some helpful tips for reptile x-rays…

Considerations for Reptile Radiographs

Many reptiles are small in size compared to the average dog or cat. Thus, good quality radiographs with sufficient detail are required for images to be diagnostic. High detail films such as those used for mammography can be beneficial here.

At the same time, many reptiles have highly keratinized scales, or, in the case of chelonians (turtles and tortoises), a shell. These coverings can mean a higher power beam is required, which can also mean loss of detail for internal body structures. Fortunately, motion blur is not a common issue, though.

As with other species of pets, good general rules of radiography apply. This means taking a minimum of two orthogonal views to get a complete picture of the part(s) of the body being radiographed.

Indications for Reptile Radiography 

With reptiles, clinical symptoms are often subtle, and exam findings are often non-specific. So, diagnostic tools such as radiographs are important for figuring out what’s going on and providing the best treatment.

With this in mind, full-body radiographs are beneficial for any reptile who is showing symptoms of illness.

Additional common indications may include evaluating…

• Bone lesions, such as osteomyelitis, traumatic injuries, or metabolic bone disease such as nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism.

• The digestive tract, including looking for ingested foreign bodies or other digestive ailments.

• Reproductive issues, such as dystocia, egg binding, or yolk coelomitis.

• Abscesses and other soft tissue swellings.

• Lung disease.

• Urinary issues such as bladder stones.

• Problems with other organs such as the heart or liver, although these organs may be difficult to evaluate in detail for many types of reptiles.

• Assessing if intraosseous catheters are placed correctly.

Restraint for Reptile X-Rays

Fortunately, many reptiles hold still without restraint, or with limited restraint, for certain x-ray views. But it’s still important to have a plan in place to ensure quality, diagnostic images are obtained.

A few examples of restraint for different reptile species may include…

• For snakes, allowing them to crawl inside a plastic tube. This also prevents coiling (which may interfere with radiographic interpretation) and ensures the snake is evenly extended for their radiographs.

• Cardboard boxes or other radiolucent containers for smaller species, especially small lizards. Note that this may result in a minor reduction in details/image quality.

• Vagal response in large lizards, which means placing pressure over the eyeballs when the lizard’s eyes are closed. This stimulates the vagus nerve, resulting in a lower heart rate and a calmer lizard. A vagal response could be accomplished with gentle digital pressure, or by placing cotton balls over the eyes and holding them in place with VetWrap wrapped around the head. Dimming the lights and avoiding any noise stimulation will also help.

• Chemical restraint if indicated. This could mean sedation or general anesthesia, depending on how challenging the patient is to work with, what information needs to be obtained from radiographs, and the health status of the patient. Be sure to check the best sedative drugs and doses for the particular reptile species you are working with.

Common Radiographic Views for Reptiles

As mentioned above, it’s important to obtain orthogonal x-ray views. Often, due to the smaller size of many reptiles, this means orthogonal views (a lateral and a DV) of the entire body. 

It’s important to remember that reptiles don’t have a diaphragm. They have a coelomic cavity, rather than separate abdominal and thoracic cavities like mammals have. Because of this difference, placing a reptile (except for snakes) in lateral recumbency may result in coelomic contents shifting, which can confound radiographic interpretation.

To prevent this issue and view organs in their natural position, many veterinarians obtain lateral radiographs of reptiles using a horizontal beam while the animal is standing. 

For chelonians, it helps to place them on some type of stand by balancing the plastron on a block, overturned bucket, etc. This facilitates the horizontal beam view and encourages the patient to hold still and extend their limbs and head from their shell.

Additionally, the horizontal beam can be used to obtain a craniocaudal view in chelonians. This allows comparison of the right and left lung fields.

Contrast agents, such as barium or iodine-based contrast, may be used, especially when evaluating the GI tract. However, it’s important to keep in mind that digestive transit times are highly variable (within a day at the shortest, and weeks at the longest) depending on the species, their nutritional status, and environmental conditions such as temperature and season.

If more detailed radiographs of the skull or extremities must be obtained, it’s important to collimate. For some species, veterinary dental films may provide better detail. Anesthesia may be needed for chelonians to fully view the skull or extremities outside of the shell.

Conclusion

Radiographs are a key tool when assessing reptiles for disease or injuries. But it’s important to understand the wide range of species variations in anatomy and become familiar with what’s normal and what’s not for each type of patient. This could mean having a good reference text, obtaining additional CE, or radiographing a healthy patient of the same species for comparison.

Once the best strategies and techniques are incorporated, diagnostic images can help a practitioner evaluate these unique pets and form an appropriate treatment plan. 

Written by: Dr. Tammy Powell, DVM

Radiographing Exotic Pets: avian patients

When it comes to avian patients, many general principles of radiology still apply, just as they would for a dog or a cat.

For example, proper technique and a systemic method for looking at the entire image are important.

However, birds also present unique challenges. For example, their small size means that fine details must be visible on radiographic images. And a bird’s rapid breathing rate can create motion artifact and blurriness, which can compromise radiographic details.

Here are a few strategies and tips for radiographing an avian patient…

Restraint of Birds for Radiographs

Appropriate positioning and stillness of the patient are both crucial for obtaining x-ray images with enough detail to be diagnostic. Because of this, sedation or anesthesia are usually necessary, with appropriate patient monitoring.

Of course, the decision to administer anesthesia depends on the stability of the patient and whether they can handle anesthesia. But even with ill birds, light sedation may still be beneficial to reduce stress, discomfort, or injuries that could be caused by physical restraint. 

When administering sedation or anesthesia, be sure to check the best medications and doses for birds, as these may vary from those used for dogs and cats.

Radiographic Technique for Avian Patients

It’s ideal to use the shortest possible exposure time. This helps minimize motion blur due to a bird’s fast respiration rate.

For small patients, tabletop technique is used. A grid is not needed, thanks to a bird’s air sacs which don’t cause significant x-ray beam attenuation or scatter radiation. However, a grid may be considered when radiographing an area wider than 10 cm.

Also, appropriate collimation should be used.

Positioning Avian Patients for Radiographs

Whether a patient is canine, feline, or avian, orthogonal x-ray images are more useful and accurate than single-view x-ray studies. So, whenever possible, try to obtain both a lateral and VD view.

A common view for studies is a “whole bird” radiograph for small or medium-sized birds, which means a head-to-tail view including the coelom, pectoral limbs, and pelvic limbs. However, it’s beneficial to focus on areas of interest, too—whether that’s examining organs in the coelom, evaluating a fractured limb, etc.

To visualize the coelom, it’s best to pull the wings and legs away from the body. That way, there’s nothing overlying the coelomic cavity that could complicate interpretation or cover up important details.

When positioning, it’s best to be gentle, especially with small birds that can be fragile. Pulling the wings too much can cause pain or injury, or lead to over-rotation and improper patient alignment. Tape may be used, but it should have minimal adhesive in order to avoid pulling feathers. Other positioning aids made from clear plastic can also be very useful.

For patients in poor condition, it may make sense to first do a “screening” x-ray via a horizontal beam. For this shot, the bird could be standing on a perch on the x-ray table. Sometimes, this gives enough information to rule out certain conditions (such as egg binding or heavy metal ingestion) and develop a preliminary treatment plan. Then, if needed, more detailed imaging could be pursued once the patient is more stable.

A Few Tips for Bird X-Rays

Here are a few more things to keep in mind when it comes to bird radiographs…

• If possible, it’s helpful to fast a patient prior to radiographs of the GI tract. This allows better visualization, and it reduces the risk of regurgitation and aspiration pneumonia. However, keep in mind a bird’s fast metabolism. For very small patients, fasting beyond two hours may be detrimental.

• Have a good reference guide available to use as a point of comparison for your patient’s images. This will help not only with distinguishing what’s normal and what’s not for an individual bird, but also for anatomic variations between species.

• Consider a referral or consult as needed. There’s nothing wrong with referring a patient to an avian and exotics specialist. Or, if you take the radiographs yourself, consider sending the images for a teleradiology consult.

X-rays can be a very important part of the diagnostic plan for birds. With knowledge and some practice, bird radiographs may become faster and easier for the team, leading to prompt diagnosis and treatment of ailments and excellent avian care. 

Written by: Dr. Tammy Powell, DVM