Elina Ihme, Anja Henner
FeniX, the digitization solution by Finnish company Innomentarium for mammography machines, was launched in late 2018. Today the equipment is used in clinical healthcare settings at several private medical centers in Finland. In addition, the equipment is used for educational purposes at several different schools to train radiographers. User experiences and customer feedback have been excellent.
Innomentarium has developed and launched a solution that makes it possible to upgrade analog mammography devices originally developed by Instrumentarium Oyj (Alpha, Performa and Diamond) to the digital age cost-effectively. It is designed to reduce the daily work of radiographers and students in clinics and schools.
“FeniX is an easy solution for our customers, since it is an easy way to switch to direct digital mammography imaging using familiar Finnish devices. “FeniX also significantly facilitates and speeds up the workflow of radiographers because image quality assessment and archiving are done digitally instead of manually changing image plates like before”, he continues. Compared to purchasing a whole new device, FeniX is, of course, also a less expensive alternative,” says Jouni Ihme, CEO of Innomentarium.
“According to international studies, direct digital mammography imaging is of higher quality and finds up to a tenth more cancerous tumors compared to traditional analogue imaging, which is very important to patients. As an engineer I feel like I am doing an important job here,” he continues.
The image quality and radiation doses of equipment that utilizes direct digital technology have been clinically tested during the product development project, and they have been found to be equivalent to the levels of a new direct digital mammography machine. FeniX also meets all the necessary standards and requirements for medical devices. The solution is currently available for Instrumentarium/GE Healthcare’s Performa and Alpha devices, and after more product development it will also be suitable for other commonly used devices in the future.
Ecological values and sustainability are cornerstones of innovation
Sustainable development and ecology are the ideas behind the company’s innovation. “Innomentarium’s goal is to extend the service life of analog mammography solutions developed by Instrumentarium for years to come by updating the machines to the digital age. This means equipment that is currently being used does not need to be replaced with new ones.
In our opinion, consideration of the environment and ecological sustainability is also important in the health care sector and in future procurements. We have to remember that sustainable development, a circular economy, and green values mean responsibility for the environment. We want to contribute to this mindset,” says Mr. Ihme and continues:
“The upgrading of existing equipment makes FeniX an ecological solution, which is a value in itself for us and our customers.”
Customers include medical centers, hospitals and schools
FeniX was launched in late 2018. Today the equipment is used in clinical healthcare settings at several private medical centers in Finland. In addition, the equipment is used for educational purposes at several different schools to train radiographers.
“The Degree Programme in Radiography and Radiation Therapy at Oulu University of Applied Sciences started cooperation with Innomentarium in autumn 2018. As the first step in cooperation, the imaging equipment of the degree program was digitalized to the new era with FeniX”, says Principal Lecturer Anja Henner.
“We would not have been able to afford a completely new device, so upgrading our old equipment with the Innomentarium innovation satisfied our needs perfectly. “Our students are now able to do their coursework and theses with modern equipment after upgrading our hardware to the digital era,” she continued.
The positive reception and high customer satisfaction in Finland have encouraged Innomentarium to invest in exporting its solutions.
The overall market potential of our solution is very big; there is a total of 159 mammography machines in use in Finland, of which 69 are analogue. In Europe, there are 32,500 devices; of these, the percentage which are analogue varies from country to country – however, we are talking about thousands of devices in Europe alone.
“In addition to the Finnish market, we are also focusing on reaching international entities that wish to update their equipment to facilitate their daily work in clinics,” he concludes.
For more information about Innomentarium and Fenix: