Siemens Healthineers and Circle Cardiovascular Imaging jointly enhance cardiac magnetic resonance imaging

• Development and product integration agreement to improve workflow and imaging capabilities as well as expanding precision medicine

At the Joint EuroCMR/SCMR 2018 Meeting in Barcelona, Spain, which brings together top clinicians and researchers within the cardiovascular and MRI communities, Siemens Healthineers and Circle Cardiovascular Imaging announced an agreement for joint development with respect to MRI scanner application products and workflows, with corresponding post-processing capabilities. The focus will be to improve cardiac magnetic resonance imaging workflows and diagnostic tools, to increase accessibility of CMR and expand precision medicine.

In addition to the joint development agreement, Siemens Healthineers and Circle have also agreed on a collaboration that will enable users to run Circle’s cmr42 on Syngo.via – an intelligent and integrated imaging software for multi-modality reading and reporting. This integration is enabled by Syngo.via OpenApps which connects Syngo.via to the Siemens Healthineers Digital Ecosystem Store, allowing a tight integration of two leaders in their respective fields, with the goal of improving diagnostic capabilities of cardiac MRI and further digitalizing healthcare.

“To be partnering with Siemens Healthineers is an exciting development for the future of cardiovascular MR internationally. Given our combined global presence and coupled with our ability to create best-in-class software technologies, we will continue to advance the field of cardiac MR for the benefit of hospitals, health care professionals and their patients,” said Greg Ogrodnick, CEO of Circle Cardiovascular Imaging.

Cardiovascular MR (CMR) is one of the most comprehensive and informative imaging tools for cardiovascular disease. Compared with other techniques, it is unique in its combined capability to assist physicians in assessing and quantifying blood flow, function, and tissue pathology. Furthermore, CMR can be performed without the use of contrast agents. Its use has been shown to save costs for healthcare providers and improve patient outcomes. There are standardized protocols for image acquisition, post-processing, evaluation and reporting, thanks to the efforts of the international Society for Cardiovascular MR (SCMR) and the CMR section of the European Association for Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), European Society of Cardiology. Clinical guidelines are increasingly acknowledging the diagnostic value of CMR, recommending its use in patients with a variety of cardiovascular conditions, from coronary artery disease, to non-ischemic cardiomyopathies, congenital heart disease and valvular heart disease.

“We are very excited to partner with Circle Cardiovascular Imaging to jointly further develop innovative products for Cardiac MRI. We believe that this strategic partnership is a perfect match to shape the future of cardiac MRI with the goal to enable better outcomes for healthcare providers as well as patients,“ said Dr. Christoph Zindel, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Siemens Healthineers.

Syngo.via OpenApps provides direct and open access to a growing variety of clinical applications from Siemens Healthineers and partners – directly on Syngo.via. OpenApps also connects Syngo.via to the Siemens Healthineers Digital Ecosystem Store. The store enables users to browse, download, and test apps as well as request quotations in line with a flexible subscription concept. With only one click, apps are installed on the safe environment of Syngo.via, thus fitting seamlessly into the clinical workflow.