Philips Expands Global Access to Its Ground-Breaking 3D Intracardiac Echocardiography to Hong Kong

Hong Kong selected as the pioneering international location for integrating Philips’ VeriSight Pro 3D Intracardiac Echocardiography (ICE) catheter into routine clinical practice

Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Hong Kong – Royal Philips announced that the first hospitals in Hong Kong have started using Philips real-time 3D Intracardiac Echocardiography (ICE) catheter – VeriSight Pro – to aid minimally-invasive image-guided procedures. It is the first time the VeriSight Pro catheter, which is guided through a patient’s blood vessels until it lies directly inside the chambers of the heart, has been used clinically outside the US or Canada. It marks the start of the international roll-out of the company’s ground-breaking ICE imaging technology. VeriSight Pro’s high-quality imaging is particularly effective in planning and guiding complicated interventional procedures.

“The VeriSight Pro 3D ICE catheter delivers the image quality we need to characterize otherwise difficult-to-image heart structures such as the left atrial appendage or tricuspid valve, allowing us to achieve more advanced procedural imaging for our patients,” said Dr. Michael Lee, Head of Cardiology at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong. “Philips has taken us up the learning curve remarkably quickly, so we can use it safely and confidently.”

Hong Kong hospitals participating in VeriSight Pro’s international roll-out include the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Queen Mary Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong Asia Heart Centre, Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, and Hong Kong Adventist Hospital. Last month, several of them began using the Philips real-time 3D ICE catheter – VeriSight Pro – under the expert guidance of Professor Gagan Singh and Dr. Edris Aman, who has pioneered the use of intracardiac echocardiography at the University of California Davis Health (Sacramento, CA, USA) for the past two years.

Offering superior 2D and 3D live imaging, VeriSight Pro allows interventionalists to navigate procedures easily and optimize interventional suite performance. The reduced need for sedation or general anesthesia accelerates workflows, increasing procedure efficiency and reducing procedure times [1]. VeriSight Pro is designed for use with Philips’ premium ultrasound systems, EPIQ CVx, and EPIQ CVxi.

“At Philips, we are committed to delivering state-of-the-art imaging solutions such as VeriSight Pro that leverage the advanced capabilities of our EPIQ ultrasound platform to enhance procedural confidence, optimize patient outcomes, and set new global standards in care,” said Bert van Meurs, Chief Business Leader of Precision Diagnosis and Image-Guided Therapy at Philips. “We look forward to working with leading specialists around the world to make that happen.”

Based on Philips’ innovative xMATRIX array 3D steerable beam ultrasound transducer technology, the VeriSight Pro 3D ICE captures high-quality 2D and 3D live images of the heart, including a 90-degree by 90-degree 3D field of view. Simultaneous viewing of two scan planes (for example, to measure the long and short axes of the left atrial appendage), plus 3D volume and color-flow images, adds valuable information.

Philips Intracardiac Echocardiography Catheter – VeriSight Pro – adds to the company’s comprehensive suite of integrated ultrasound imaging solutions, which combine interventional X-ray, 3D ultrasound, and related interventional tools to enable confident navigation and positioning of devices and reduce procedure times.

Sources

[1] Diaz JC, Bastidas O, Duque M, et al. Impact of intracardiac echocardiography versus transesophagealechocardiography guidance on left atrial appendage occlusion procedures: A meta‐analysis. J. Cardiovasc. Electrophysiol. 2024; 35(1)44-57.2

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