GE Healthcare Unveils Voluson SWIFT, AI-Enhanced Women’s Health Ultrasound with Industry-First Auto Recognition Tools to Help Improve Efficiency

Rhea-AI Summary

GE Healthcare has launched the Voluson SWIFT, a pioneering ultrasound system aimed at enhancing women's health diagnostics. Featuring AI-driven auto-recognition, the device is designed to alleviate clinician burnout caused by bureaucratic tasks. Key benefits include a 73% optimization in scan workflows, 45% reduction in patient scanning time, and 38% faster SonoBiometry measurements. Supported by the Edison intelligence platform, the Voluson SWIFT promises to streamline operations in obstetrics and gynecology, meeting the heightened demands of healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Positive

• Launch of the Voluson SWIFT ultrasound system aimed at improving diagnostic capabilities.
• Industry-first AI algorithms that optimize scan workflows by 73%.
• Scan Assistant tool reduces patient scanning time by up to 45%.
• SonoBiometry measurements are 38% faster compared to previous systems.

Negative

• None.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE Healthcare today unveiled Voluson SWIFT*, a new ultrasound system designed to help women’s health clinicians expand diagnostic capabilities and improve patient outcomes. The system features industry-first AI algorithms to support auto recognition in addition to an ergonomic design, impeccable image quality, and tools to improve efficiency.

A recent study found that obstetrics (OB) and gynecology (GYN) clinicians in the United States have some of the highest burnout rates among physicians, with the leading factor being bureaucratic tasks like paperwork, charting, and patient data capture.² In today’s COVID-19 pandemic environment, these clinicians are now facing additional pressures to see more patients and perform exams quickly to limit possible patient exposure to the coronavirus.

To help combat these constraints and improve clinical outcomes, GE Healthcare gathered input from 200 women’s health practitioners worldwide to develop the all-new Voluson SWIFT that is designed to help make clinician’s daily work more manageable. New features allow users to customize the system to their personal preferences and the system comes with guided workflows to help new users learn the technology faster and use it more effectively.

“The Voluson SWIFT is intuitive to use and comes with many options to personalize your preferences on the system and auto-measurement tools that allow you to focus on the examination rather than time-consuming adjustments,” said Dr. Ralf Menkhaus, Gynecologist at Kinderwunschzentrum in Minden, Germany. “It’s like the machine is helping do some of the thinking for you which has allowed me to seamlessly integrate it for any obstetric and gynecological exams I need to do.”

The Voluson SWIFT ultrasound system features an embedded artificial intelligence platform, including the new SonoLyst** application, the industry’s first fully integrated AI tool that recognizes the 20 views recommended by the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology mid-trimester practice guidelines for fetal imaging, optimizing the scan workflow by 73 percent when compared to manual 2D workflow. Additional benefits include:

• Scan Assistant tool that guides clinicians through protocols and reduces the patient scanning time by up to 45 percent, with simplified workflow and freedom to customize and create your own user protocols.^3,4
• SonoBiometry measurements are now 38 percent faster than previous platforms and three additional measurements to SonoBiometry make Voluson SWIFT 60 percent more automated than previous systems.⁵
• Utilizing SonoCNS, developed on GE Healthcare’s Edison intelligence platform, on the Voluson SWIFT can help reduce keystrokes by 78 percent when obtaining desired planes and measurements of the fetal central nervous system (CNS).⁶

“Voluson SWIFT has redefined one of the most essential tools obstetrics and gynecology clinicians rely on, delivering a contemporary design, intuitive user interface, and intelligent workflow supported by AI,” said Roland Rott, General Manager of Women’s Health Ultrasound at GE Healthcare. “In today’s environment where cleanliness and time savings opportunities are critical for clinicians, we’re proud to offer a solution that makes our customers’ work easier and gives them time back with their patients.”

To learn more about GE Healthcare’s Voluson SWIFT technology, click here.

*510(k) pending at FDA. Not available for sale in the United States.

**SonoLyst incorporates the AI technology of Intelligent Ultrasound

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare is the $16.7 billion healthcare business of GE (NYSE: GE). As a leading global medical technology and digital solutions innovator, GE Healthcare enables clinicians to make faster, more informed decisions through intelligent devices, data analytics, applications and services, supported by its Edison intelligence platform. With over 100 years of healthcare industry experience and around 50,000 employees globally, the company operates at the center of an ecosystem working toward precision health, digitizing healthcare, helping drive productivity and improve outcomes for patients, providers, health systems and researchers around the world.

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¹ Comparison performed using GE Healthcare’s Voluson SWIFT/ SWIFT+ compared to Voluson P8.

² Accessed on 9/22/2020: https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2020-lifestyle-obgyn-6012501

³ Comparison performed using GE’s Voluson SWIFT/ SWIFT+ vs. Voluson P8.

⁴ Comparison performed using GE’s Voluson SWIFT/ SWIFT+ vs. Voluson P8 BT18 & Voluson S6 BT16.

⁵ Comparison performed using GE’s Voluson SWIFT/SWIFT+ and GE’s Voluson P8 BT18.

⁶ Sonographic examination of the fetal central nervous system: guidelines for performing the „basic examination“ and the „fetal neurosonogram“ [Ultrasound Obstet. Gynecol. 2007; 29: 109–116]