Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Small Animal Digital X-Ray Systems: Three Price Point Options



Ready to choose your next small animal digital x-ray system?
The new Digital Navigator Systems provide you with Three Price Point Options

Justifying costs for new X-ray equipment is very difficult in this day and age due to a slow economy.  However, the X-ray modalities are a necessity of life for most veterinary facilities.

Many of our customers express that they NEED X-ray. They WANT digital but they do not want to spend the money that it takes for a full-fledged digital room.  The good news is that there is more than one way to achieve digital.

Option 1: CR Navigator Systems

CR 4000 and CR 2000


The least expensive way is to purchase a CR system to complement your analog X-ray. But this involves placing an extra step between the exposure and acquisition of the x-ray.

Examples: CR Navigator from DIS, All Pro Scan-x, Carestream Direct View Vita, Kodak Point of Care, Agfa CR

Option 2: DR Navigator portable DR Flat Panel System

DR 3500



On the other end of the spectrum is a fully born 14x17 portable Digital X-ray unit. These tend to be the most expensive, but also the most efficient when it comes to speed of play between exposure and acquisition.
Example: DR Navigator 3500C from DIS, GE XR/D
There is however a middle ground...

Option 3: DR Navigator digital flat Plate Retrofit for Analog X-ray Systems
DR 4300

Any analog X-ray system can be retrofitted with a 17x17 DR digital flat plate.
Examples: DR Navigator 4300C from DIS, Krystal Rad 560, Carestream DRX-1, Flex DR.

There are many different types of digital plates on the market, but I would like to focus on the DR Navigator that I believe to be the most cost-efficient.
DR Navigator plates are the most cost-efficient of the digital plates.
The DR Navigator plate differs from other plates by the way it connects to the X-ray system. DR Navigator plates can be moved from the tray in the table to the tray in the wall bucky easily, and are connected to the computer system by wire.
Both wireless and dedicated options are a little bit more convenient, however tethered is by far the most cost-efficient way to do it. The cost is generally about half of what a wireless plate would cost, and also about half the cost of the dedicated plates because only one plate is required instead of two.  It will also save considerably on service for the plates in the years to come.

Now Your Ready to choose your new digital navigator x-ray system.