KUBTEC announced today that it has developed a unique solution to a potential problem faced by OR staff when treating patients for breast cancer. Automatic Specimen Alert (ASA), now available on the Mozart System, KUBTEC's proprietary intraoperative 3-D Tomosynthesis system, eliminates the possibility that OR professionals may forget to remove the excised specimen from the system once imaging is complete.

With checklists in place in most ORs, this happens infrequently; but when it does, it can have serious downstream consequences, as the specimen must be fixed in formalin within 60 minutes from the time of excision in order to be considered viable by Pathology. Older systems currently in use have a small window through which the technician can see into the specimen chamber. For this to be beneficial, it requires the operator to be close to the instrument and to remember to look inside despite handling many other responsibilities simultaneously.

"We thought that a more elegant, convenient solution would be to proactively alert the user on the rare occasions when the specimen is not removed in a timely fashion. And that's what we've developed," remarked Vikram Butani, CEO at KUBTEC. "We conceived that an active alert is superior to a passive, old fashioned window for these infrequent yet potentially serious situations."

After 10 minutes of inactivity, the MOZART System's ASA feature flashes a very clear indication on the system monitor screen if a tissue sample remains inside the cabinet. "With Automatic Specimen Alert the technician can see from across the OR that an action is needed. We would not be surprised if the window feature eventually became obsolete after medical professionals discover how much safer and more efficient things are this way," Butani concluded.

Automatic Specimen Alert will be available on all KUBTEC Cabinet X-ray systems ordered after September of this year.