Today, cardiologists are facing the challenge of a dramatic increase in the number of cardiac patients that require treatment. In response, Philips has developed patient-focused technologies that enable cardiologists to act earlier, react faster and make more accurate treatment decisions.

Connecting in the hospital
Philips is introducing a new release of its integrated cardiovascular information solution to the European market, the Philips Xcelera R2.1, which now integrates exam results from all key cardiology subspecialties - interventional cardiology, cardiovascular ultrasound, ECG, nuclear cardiology, cardiac CT, cardiac MR and electrophysiology. This advanced cardiovascular solution for documentation, viewing, quantification and reporting tasks, provides clinicians with access to relevant images and information on patients across the hospital from a single workspace.

"At Philips we recognize the key role that access to detailed patient information plays in the provision of cardiac care - whether the patient is in the hospital or at home," said Kevin Haydon, executive vice president and CEO of Philips Medical Systems Global Sales & Service International. "That's why we offer a fully integrated portfolio of medical systems that enables clinicians to deliver fast and accurate diagnosis and treatment, wherever they are, whenever they want, improving patient outcomes while reducing costs."

Connecting at home
Philips will also be demonstrating Motiva, a TV-based interactive healthcare platform that empowers patients to play a greater role in managing their own chronic conditions. Using a secure broadband connection to the home television, along with home vital sign measurement devices, Motiva enables healthcare providers to educate, motivate and communicate with patients, as well as monitor their health status remotely. Motiva engages patients daily with an automated, yet personalized, programme of healthcare content - educational video clips, interactive feedback, healthy tips and reminders -centred on evidence-based health behaviour change strategies.

"With the first commercial release of Motiva, we're bringing healthcare providers and patients closer together, extending the frontier of the hospital to the home," said Maarten Barmentlo, vice president, CEO Connected Care, Consumer Healthcare Solutions, Philips Medical Systems. "By educating patients about their condition and empowering them to help manage their own health, Motiva has the potential to benefit every healthcare stakeholder, not least the patients themselves."

Xcelera 2.1 - Connecting cardiac care
In addition to managing examination results in a patient centric-manner, the new release of Xcelera also brings a variety of new or enhanced clinical and reporting tools for 2D and 3D Echo, Cardiovascular X-Ray, Nuclear cardiology, 2D and 3D Cardiac CT and MR, as well as for managing EP recording and mapping information. The new design of results management and availability of new and enhanced clinical tools enables cardiac professionals to more efficiently diagnose a patient's condition and subsequently make more informed decisions about the method of treatment. For example, a recent study on coronary assessment conducted at sites worldwide found that 39 percent of patients evaluated who had coronary disease symptoms could have avoided catheterization, an invasive procedure, if they had been given a CT angiography exam.

The Philips Xcelera WebForum provides secure direct access to the information managed in Xcelera from both within and outside of the hospital, enabling clinicians to compare and contrast data from patients assessed in different locations or share information within their clinical community.

At the World Congress of Cardiology 2006 Philips will be showcasing a number of other products that enable clinicians to make informed decisions about a patient's cardiac condition by integrating and analyzing information from across the Critical Care Unit, interventional and non-invasive care areas. These include:

Non-interventional diagnosis products

CT TrueView Technology
This software integrates CT imaging into the catheterization lab by allowing 3D CT images to be transferred to the Philips Allura Xper FD cardiovascular X-Ray system. This provides clinicians with a more accurate view of the anatomy for the treatment planning of invasive procedures such as ischemia, arrhythmia and heart failure.

Comprehensive Cardiac Analysis (CCA)
Comprehensive Cardiac Analysis is an analysis tool designed for cardiologists, cardiac radiologists and CT technologists to perform detailed evaluation of the coronary arteries and advanced ventricular functional analysis using CT datasets. Philips substantially reduces the time and complexity of a cardiac evaluation, helping to simplify procedures and assessment for clinicians and improve diagnostic confidence.

Electrophysiology (EP Planning) Software Package
Electrophysiology measures the electrical activity of the heart which defines its pulses and rhythms. This CT study is essential when it comes to identifying the changes in electrical activity that occur during ischemia and arrhythmia and for planning ablation procedures. The EP Planning software package is designed to provide assistance in planning and assessing the impact of electrophysiology studies.

New Live 3D pediatric echo and heart failure management capabilities on the iE33 system
The new, compact X7-2 xMATRIX PureWave transducer, with a much smaller profile, provides physicians remarkable Live 3D imaging of the heart in small pediatric patients. Upgrades to QLAB quantification software provide enhanced heart failure management tools.

Interventional products

Simplifying complex procedures with EP Navigator
The Philips EP Navigator is a new tool dedicated to electrophysiology, designed to help clinicians undertake atrial fibrillation procedures, done by ablation around the pulmonary veins, in a faster and more secure way. EP doctors frequently have the feeling of "navigating in the dark". By including CT segmentation and CT/fluoro overlays, the EP Navigator offers a tool to better locate the position of the catheter within the left atrium in 3D during the procedure. The electrophysiologist loses less time and can better concentrate on the ablation itself.

Improving workflow for the Cardiac Cath Lab with Philips Series III
Series III is a solution that comprehensively integrates Haemodynamic clinical findings and diagnostic images for the Cath Lab, improving workflow and data management. This single system frees up physicians' time, not only by speeding up data entry but also by having all information in one place, making it quicker and easier to retrieve the data.

Many of these products will be featured on the Philips booth, located in Hall 2 - Booth number H250

For further information please contact:
Europe
Gert van Santen
Tel: +31 40 27 82682
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About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest, with sales of $37.7 billion (EUR 30.4 billion) in 2005. With activities in the three interlocking domains of healthcare, lifestyle and technology and 158,000 employees in more than 60 countries, it has market leadership positions in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, color television sets, electric shavers, lighting and silicon system solutions. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.