Apollo EZ: efficiency meets simplicity

Apollo EZ is the solution designed to overcome any installation limits in narrow spaces, thanks to its compact mechanical structure, and to allow an R/F room to be created with an affordable investment. The table is available with transversal (2-way) tabletop movement, for maximum compactness, or with 4-way tabletop movement, to offer maximum patient exploration, combining tabletop and tube/spot film assembly longitudinal movement. Moreover, Apollo EZ includes functional features that enable the great application flexibility typical of the Apollo line, such as the tube support column with motorised tilting and the focus-film distance up to 180 cm, that allow different types of projections to be made directly on the table, including chest studies. Designed with the same high quality standards used in manufacturing all of our equipment, Apollo EZ is a compact and reliable system that can be used in environments requiring high productivity and in the most critical situations, thanks to its ability to withstand high loads with no movement limitations. The equipment is able to ensure high levels of safety for both the operator and the patient, thanks to the real-time control of all movements and to the specific anti-collision device that stops the tilting movement of the table in the event of contact with an obstacle.

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.

Rapid and concurrent movements reduce dramatically the patient preparation time and increase workflow. On the film-based versions, the powerful spot film device, available with either line or cross divisions, can fit virtually any application need, while the one-hand cassette loading and unloading mechanism grants a maximized speed for this frequent operation. Thanks to the retractable grid, the operator is never required to manually remove the grid even in all the examinations where it is not required. Finally, on the Apollo EZ the extended focus distance can arrive up to 180cm/71" allowing to obtain chest images comparable to those done on a chest stand, making the remote controlled room suitable also for routine exams.

Special attention is always by us given to patient's dose reduction, by employing a number of provisions, such as reduced skin-to-film-distance, automatic collimation, fully automatic parameter settings in both fluoro and exposure. Additionally, in order to grant the highest level of safety, a dedicated anti-collision device on the vertical tilting movement stops the motion in case of contact with foreign objects 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. This system also allows the anti-scatter grid to be automatically parked outside the X-ray field, in order to reduce the dose delivered.

Apollo EZ is entirely engineered and manufactured at our headquarters in Italy, leveraging on our recognized skills in the manufacture of remote-controlled tables and employing European-Standard production processes, guaranteeing an excellent price/performance ratio. The performance of Apollo EZ is therefore assured for a long time, even when the machine is used in the most stressing environments as well as for operations with bariatric patients, thanks to its weight capacity up to 200kg (440 lb.) without movement limitations. 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. 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.