Philips Image Guided Therapy System – Azurion – with Ambient Experience and FlexVision display helps reduce patient anxiety during interventional procedures

March 30, 2022

• New solution for interventional rooms offers patients a calming multi-sensory experience while staff prepare them for their procedure
• Ambient Experience with FlexVision display aims to help increases patient comfort, potentially improving interventional procedure workflows, outcomes, and productivity

Amsterdam, the Netherlands – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced commercial availability of the company’s new solution for interventional rooms, Ambient Experience with FlexVision display, which will be showcased at the American College of Cardiology’s 71st Annual Scientific Session & Expo (ACC 2022), April 2-4, Washington, D.C., USA. Connecting to Philips Image Guided Therapy System – Azurion, it uses the system’s large display to offer patients a calming multi-sensory experience while staff prepare them for their procedure, prior to the display being used for the actual intervention. It also allows patients and interventional team members to adapt the room’s ambient lighting and sound to add to the overall feeling of calm, especially during the patient entry and preparation phases of procedures. Aimed at reducing patient anxiety during interventional procedures, Ambient Experience, leveraging FlexVision display, has the potential to improve the patient and staff experience, positively impact outcomes, and enhance workflows and productivity.

Anxiety in patients undergoing minimally-invasive image-guided therapy typically peaks immediately before the procedure is performed. As a result, sedative drugs and general anesthesia are commonly used in interventional rooms to ensure patients lie still during procedures. Mitigating the clinical atmosphere associated with typical interventional rooms by introducing positive elements that distract, inform, educate, and empower patients, Philips Ambient Experience aims to reduce patient anxiety to a level where interventionists can operate more productively and efficiently. For example, the solution could reduce the overall procedure time and, in some cases, reduce the costs associated with patient sedation or general anesthesia [1].

“One factor in our decision to use Philips’ solution is that along with the patient experience, it has been shown that you can use less anesthesia in some cases due to the relaxing and distracting factors of Ambient Experience. We wanted to set ourselves apart from other labs,” said Victor Hall, Vice President of the Heart and Vascular Institute, Baptist Health Care Pensacola, Florida, US.

“Interventional procedures can be challenging for patients, especially those who are anxious about the intervention and the outcome,” said Werner Satter, General Manager Ambient Experience at Philips. “With the addition of Ambient Experience connected to FlexVision display, which is part of Philips Image Guided Therapy System – Azurion, we address the atmosphere and mood of the room by offering active relaxation opportunities for patients and staff.”

In addition to the system’s library of pre-recorded themes, Ambient Experience also connects to media devices such as mobile phones and tablets, adding a powerful element of interactivity and choice so that patients and staff can enjoy an even more personalized experience. Single-touch control allows interventional room staff to switch between customized presets and optimal lighting and audio settings for each phase of a procedure.

Philips Ambient Experience applies evidence-based, human-focused innovation and design thinking to give patients and staff an engaging and pleasant experience, while also improving the efficiency of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and building confidence in the services and reputation of healthcare facilities. Reduced patient anxiety contributes to better patient and staff experiences and potentially better patient outcomes, while improved efficiency contributes to lower cost of care, helping healthcare providers meet all four aspects of the Quadruple Aim.  

Ambient Experience has a wide range of healthcare application areas. In the radiology department of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales (Cardiff, UK), where it provides an immersive interactive experience for children from the moment they arrive, a patient-satisfaction study showed that Philips Ambient Experience achieved high net promoter scores [2].

Join Philips in person at ACC 2022 to discover the latest innovations in cardiology from Philips.

[1] A fresh perspective from the interventional suite – research paper, Philips 2021.
[2] Results from case studies are not predictive of results in other cases. Results in other cases may vary.

For further information, please contact:

Joost Maltha 
Philips Global Press Office 
Tel: +31 6 10 55 8116  
Email: joost.maltha@philips.com

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and well-being, and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum – from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2021 sales of EUR 17.2 billion and employs approximately 78,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

Attachments

• Philips Ambient Experience and FlexVision display
• Philips Ambient Experience and FlexVision display for pediatric patients