Apollo: designed for patient care

Apollo is Villa's remote controlled table that allows you to get the best from the R/F room, offering a range of fast and accurate movements that ensure an extraordinary application capability of the system, thus reducing examination preparation times and improving patient comfort. Tilting by 90° in both directions makes it possible to install the remote controlled table in the most diverse configurations of the diagnostic room, allowing top results to be obtained in any environment. By means of motorised tilting of the tube support column, combined with the rotation of the X-ray source, oblique projections can also be carried out on the table as well as patient exposures on a stretcher. Furthermore, the focus-film distance, which can be extended up to 180 cm, makes it possible to examine the chest directly on the remote controlled table. The adjustable height from the floor and the completely smooth surface of the examination table make patient access easier and simplify transfer procedures from the stretcher. In addition, the sturdy and reliable mechanical structure has a maximum capacity of 284 kg, with no movement restrictions, thus also making it possible to examine bariatric patients.

Based on an upgraded, high performance hardware architecture, the new remote control console introduces features and solutions that further increase ease of use and efficiency of the system, thus helping to speed up the workflow and increase productivity in the R/F room. The operator can simply and intuitively control the entire system through the wide touch screen interface, where the information on the table position and operating mode are instantly displayed. The new smart-touch joysticks, made with touch-sensitive material, ensure that table movements are only activated intentionally and constitute, together with the updated software control infrastructure, a set of elements designed to allow the equipment to be used in complete safety. The operator is able to communicate with the patient to provide instructions and reassurance during the examination via the built-in two-way intercom, which is supported by pre-recordable messages in several languages, and through the video camera built into the collimator, which displays the image of the patient in real time on the console, the operator can perform centring operation without X-ray emissions. However, should it be required to stay close to the patient when preparing the examination, the operator can start the remote controlled table movements through the control panel on the table side or through the optional touch screen collimator, or via an additional control panel on a trolley.

Special attention is given to patient's dose reduction, by employing a number of provisions, such as low-absorption tabletop materials (plastic or carbon fiber), reduced skin-to-film-distance, automatic collimation, fully automatic parameter settings in both fluoroscopy and exposure (zero-point technique). Four sides open access and one of the industry's lowest tabletop height will ease patient loading operations, as well as procedures requiring support personnel to operate in the table area.

The wide movement of the tube/spot film assembly allows total patient exploration without having to move the tabletop longitudinally, thereby ensuring faster positioning and greater comfort for the patient. The spot film device, compatible with numerous formats of radiographic cassettes, makes the preparation of the examination simple and fast through the automatic cassette loading and alignment mechanism, thus allowing multiple images to be acquired in succession on the same film through the line and cross divisions. The TV chain with image intensifier and CCD camera can always capture images at the highest levels, thanks to the automatic control of the exposure parameters based on the density of the examined area and the algorithms for noise and motion artefacts reduction. All table movements can also be activated via the tableside keypad to improve efficiency during the patient preparation phase.

Apollo maximizes the flexibility of the remote controlled RF approach. Skeletal, gastro-intestinal, tomography, vascular, ERCP are performed easily and quickly. Chest exams are also possible thanks to the continuously adjustable Source to Image Distance, which can arrive of up to 180 cm, depending on the specific Apollo version. Extremities can easily be executed with the patient standing only a few centimetres above the floor. Fully electronic bi-directional tomography without connection bar, can be performed on film or in digital mode and in any position of the table. The system can be supplied with a wide range of accessories, useful for patient positioning and for special procedures, such as lateral cassette holder, compression band, radiopaque ruler, contrast medium cup holder, disposable bed sheet holder, shoulder support, patient footrest, leg support and handles.

The Open configuration of Apollo allows a total access to the patient from any side of the tabletop in a fast, comfortable and safe way. This complete accessibility allows also to perform any interventional procedure that might become necessary, without any limitation; the operator has therefore the possibility to act rapidly and effectively. The carbon fiber tabletop allows on the Apollo Open a maximum patient load of 230 kg (507 lbs.) without limitations in movement, allowing the access also to bariatric patients.