GE Healthcare Announces Global Installation Milestone of Over 10,000 C-Arm Surgical Systems

Report (Reporter Zhang Tianyu from the Integrated Media Center): On June 18, GE Healthcare China officially announced that the global installed base of its C-arm surgical imaging systems had surpassed 10,000 units. Notably, since its establishment in 2002, the GE Healthcare China R&D team has developed 10 C-arm surgical imaging system models, which are sold in 180 countries worldwide. To date, all surgical imaging system products, including flagship models such as the “Mini Micro,” OEC One, and Jingrui, have been in stable mass production at the GE Healthcare Beijing Medical Imaging Equipment Manufacturing Base located in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area.

According to reports, GE Healthcare has been deeply engaged in the C-arm field for over a decade, achieving an annual installation growth rate of more than 25% for its GE-branded C-arm surgical systems, with products sold to 180 countries and regions across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. "The milestone of installing 10,000 units of our C-arm series would not have been possible without the strong support from the Economic-Technological Development Area and the relentless efforts of our Chinese R&D team for surgical systems," said Dai Ying, Chief Innovation Officer of GE Healthcare China.

In 2013, with the rollout of the star product “OEC Brivo with a Fully Digital Imaging Chain,” developed by the Chinese R&D team, at GE Healthcare’s Beijing medical imaging equipment manufacturing base, the combined strategy of “R&D in China + Manufacturing in Yizhuang” began to demonstrate its strength, continuously launching a diverse range of C-arm series products to the global market. Among these, the revolutionary “Mini Micro” integrated flat-panel mobile C-arm, released in 2016, became a standout success. Its core technology, the “Low-Light Amorphous Silicon Flat-Panel Detector,” enabled low-dose, high-definition imaging, while its flexible, integrated design offered advantages such as a 70% reduction in operating room space requirements, earning strong market favor. This helped triple the annual installation volume of GE Healthcare’s C-arm series products within five years.

Meanwhile, another flagship product, the Jingrui, is the first mobile C-arm equipped with a touch panel, enabling real-time image acquisition and viewing during surgery. Users can operate the system without needing to move or switch to a separate workstation, significantly improving surgical efficiency in orthopedics, hand and foot surgery, and other specialties. Furthermore, considering the challenges faced by medical institutions of varying types and sizes in training staff and cultivating talent for new equipment, the Chinese R&D team designed a more intelligent workflow that is simple and easy to learn, truly making the surgical imaging device the “third eye” of surgeons.

“Since 2013, GE Healthcare’s surgical X-ray machine team in China has launched a new product approximately every year. Today, having accomplished the localization of its products and the establishment of a domestic supply chain in China, the team has entered its third phase of development. In this phase, Chinese R&D personnel lead platform-based development, upgrading and iterating products based on market demands in China and similar developing regions, with strategic upfront planning. The resulting innovations are then introduced to both the Chinese and global markets, allowing ‘Yizhuang-made’ products to benefit customers worldwide,” said Dai Ying.

The milestone of installing 10,000 units of the C-arm series surgical systems is merely a microcosm of GE Healthcare’s local R&D layout in China. In recent years, GE Healthcare China has continuously increased its investment in innovative technologies. To date, GE Healthcare has launched more than 150 new products in China, with over 60 developed and commercialized by its Chinese R&D teams. Looking ahead, GE Healthcare will continue to address market and clinical challenges while accelerating the advancement of its localization and digitalization strategies.