GE Working to Improve Access to Prenatal Care

Receives $1.2 million NIH award to develop technology for lower cost, highly
mobile ultrasound systems to reach areas with limited access to health services

GE researchers developing new way to build transducers, removing key barrier to
more affordable systems

New technology also being developed to simplify use of ultrasound systems
NISKAYUNA, N.Y.--(Business Wire)--
In the quest to expand access to high quality prenatal care to communities with
limited healthcare services, GE Global Research, the technology development arm
for the General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), has been awarded a two-year, $1.2
million project under the federal stimulus program from the National Institute
of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, part of the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) to develop a low-cost transducer for portable ultrasound systems
that maintains the highest degree of image quality. The transducer is the device
placed on the abdomen of an expectant mom, which transmits and receives signals
that generate real-time images of activity inside the womb.

The development of a low-cost transducer would greatly support GE`s
healthymagination vision by expanding ultrasound use beyond the hospital and
into underserved communities worldwide. Healthymagination represents GE`s
commitment to drive new technologies and products that reduce costs, improve
quality and increase access to healthcare. Expanding ultrasound use to
underserved communities could help improve the detection and diagnosis of
life-threatening maternal conditions such as ectopic pregnancy, placental
previa, and fetal malposition. Ultrasound is also uniquely capable of accurately
prognosing preeclampsia - a dangerous form of hypertension that arises in
pregnancy. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1,400 women
die each day from maternal causes and for every woman who dies, twenty more
suffer injuries, infection, and disability in pregnancy and childbirth.

"We can make prenatal care more accessible by simplifying the use and reducing
the cost of medical ultrasound systems," said Scott Smith, Principal
Investigator on the transducer project for GE Global Research. "To get there,
the industry needs a breakthrough to substantially lower the cost of ultrasound
transducers. We are working on a new printing technique in the lab that could
deliver the manufacturing process needed to make this possible."

In recent years, medical ultrasound has trended to smaller, lower cost systems
because of significant advances in electronics miniaturization. GE is a leader
in this miniaturization revolution, recently announcing a new, mobile ultrasound
product, the Vscan. Vscan, an ultra-small, ultra-smart pocket-sized device, is
not yet commercially available in U.S.

While the imaging console, has dramatically shrunk in size, weight and cost, the
transducers, have remained largely unchanged. Transducers have become the most
costly and labor-intensive component of an ultrasound system. GE researchers are
developing a new manufacturing process for the transducer that they believe can
potentially reduce labor and production costs.

Smith said, "In addition to reducing the cost of the transducer, GE is
developing new technology that will make ultrasound easier to master, use, and
interpret. We can build new intelligence into these systems that can assist in
spotting potential issues. These mobile, high quality, and easy-to-use
ultrasound systems will allow a wider range of providers to deliver better
quality healthcare, and to do it in more places, like ambulances and small
doctor`s offices, not just hospitals and specialists."

One of the issues in underserved areas is access to medical specialists.
Pregnant women in these communities are more likely to receive their care from
medical personnel such as family or emergency medicine providers who may not
have specific obstetrical ultrasound training. By automating ultrasound systems
to aid in diagnosis and spot other issues, GE seeks to expand the number of
healthcare personnel who could be trained to operate these systems.

Besides developing the technology, GE will work with Maternal and Fetal Medicine
physicians at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center (part of Intermountain
Healthcare) to evaluate the equipment and education of young doctors in a
hospital and a rural clinic. These physicians actively participate with GE
Healthcare in Imaging the World, a non-profit organization committed to saving
lives by bringing diagnostic imaging to rural communities around the world.

About GE Global Research

GE Global Research was the first industrial research lab in the United States
and is one of the world's most diversified research centers, providing
innovative technology for all of GE's businesses. Global Research has been the
cornerstone of GE technology for more than 100 years, developing breakthrough
innovations in areas such as medical imaging, energy generation, jet engines,
advanced materials and lighting. GE Global Research is headquartered in
Niskayuna, New York and has facilities in Bangalore, India; Shanghai, China; and
Munich, Germany. Visit GE Global Research at www.ge.com/research.

GE
Media Relations
Todd Alhart, 518-387-7914
alhart@research.ge.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009