November 14, 2011 — As soldiers are being treated for more advanced medical conditions on the battlefield, more advanced medical devices are required to respond to this need. Royal Philips Electronics has a long-standing relationship with the United States military and Department of Veterans Affairs, providing cutting-edge healthcare equipment to the battlefield and U.S. military hospitals.
Multiple Philips ultrasound machines and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are deployed right now. There are currently 25 computed tomography (CT) units in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Navy recently announced the installation of three magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems in Afghanistan. The deployment of imaging systems in combat zones is widely credited for improving battlefield survival rates among service members who are injured during deployment.
In addition, Philips was selected by the United States government to outfit the Medical Education and Training Campus (METC) at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas with an array of advanced imaging systems. The facility serves the U.S. Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and Navy as a centralized site for basic and specialty enlisted medical training. METC is the largest military medical and training institution in the world and the largest consolidation of service training in the history of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
Philips has installed 68 imaging systems in the METC facilities. The list includes a broad spectrum of advanced imaging equipment such as X-ray, cardiovascular imaging, ultrasound, CT and nuclear medicine devices similar to equipment used in military hospitals and clinics. This ensures training is accurate and precise for future deployment and prepares the medical forces for supporting military hospitals and clinics.
Philips also provides advanced patient care and clinical informatics solutions to all branches of the military and veterans administration hospitals. These include IntelliVue patient monitoring solutions, therapeutic care solutions such as AEDs, SureSigns vital signs monitors, and IntelliSpace critical care and anesthesia care informatics.
“We are very proud to work with the United States Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs,” said Deborah DiSanzo, executive vice president and chief executive officer, patient care and clinical informatics, Philips Healthcare. “The Philips team develops solutions designed to improve and save lives of our service men and women and their families — from air-worthy, combat-ready AEDs to innovative Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) telehealth solutions to fulfilling Department of Defense Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process (DIACAP) requirements across our portfolio.”
For more information: www.philips.com