refurbished-Epiq-7

GE Healthcare and Philips are known for their superior cardiac ultrasound systems. The GE Vivid E95 and Philips Epiq 7 are both premiere cardiac ultrasound systems marketed toward cardiology practices and hospitals that need high-quality and advanced cardiac imaging capabilities. Both systems would be a wonderful addition to any cardiology practice or hospital environment. However, which of these systems is the best value and best fit for your needs? We’re here to help by comparing the GE Vivid E95 and Philips Epiq 7 side-by-side.

FOOTPRINT AND ERGONOMICS

Both the GE Vivid E95 and the Philips Epiq 7 are very similar in size and maneuverability, with the Epiq 7 being slightly more narrow than the Vivid E95. Both systems are premium cardiac ultrasound systems, meaning they have the hardware needed to perform the most advanced exams. Therefore, it’s difficult to cut down on size to fit the hardware necessary for the advanced exams. Taking into consideration that they are both premium systems, both are easy to maneuver and have the ergonomics to improve any physician’s exam experience. However, the Vivid E95 is decently heavier than the Epiq 7 and cannot be adjusted as high as the Epiq 7. You can see the exact systems’ specifics below.

TOUCH SCREEN & CONTROL PANEL

The GE Vivid E95 and Philips Epiq 7 offer touch screen user interfaces for ease of use and improved exam times. However, the Epiq 7 has the advantage of a more tablet-like interface, with an adjustable touch screen that allows for viewing and operating at the most comfortable angle. The Epiq 7 also has fewer buttons and knobs (35) than the Vivid E95 (53) requiring less time to clean/disinfect, less reach to perform standard exams, and better user-friendliness.

MONITOR

While the Epiq 7’s 22″ or 24″ LCD monitor creates a clear view, the GE E95’s stunning 22″ advanced OLED monitor is definitely the superior screen. If you want the OLED monitor on a Philips Epiq, you’ll have to upgrade to either the Philips Epiq Elite or the Philips CVx/CVxi – the newest cardiovascular ultrasound systems available from Philips that aren’t on the used/refurbished market yet.

HARDWARE

One major hardware difference you might notice between the Epiq 7 and the Vivid E95 is the probe ports. The Epiq 7 has four standard compact probe ports, whereas the Vivid E95 comes with three standard probe ports and one pinned probe port for transesophageal probes. Although, the Vivid E95 does feature more ports for other auxiliary connections.

The newest version of the Vivid E95 also runs GE’s cSound 2.0/3.0. This software utilizes the most advanced beamformer hardware that GE has to offer more efficiently than most ultrasound systems on the market.

Refurbished GE Vivid E95

ADVANCED ULTRASOUND TRANSDUCERS

The GE Vivid E95 makes use of GE’s XDClear transducer technology. The Philips Epiq 7 makes use Philips’s PureWave transducer technology. The primary differences between the two technologies are that the Philips PureWave probes are slightly lighter than the XDClear Digital Connector probes, and the “Advanced Probes” option on the GE Vivid E95 must be enabled to run the XDClear probes, like:

Whereas the Philips PureWave probes don’t need a special option to run them on the Epiq 7. Some of these PureWave transducers include:

LIVE 4D CARDIAC IMAGING

More than just advanced probes, both the Epiq 7 and the Vivid E95 run 4D matrix probes. The Vivid E95 makes use of the following probes for Live 4D cardiac imaging:

  • GE 4V-D Volume Cardiac
  • GE 4Vc-D Volume Cardiac
  • GE 6VT-D Volume Transesophageal

The Philips Epiq 7 runs the following xMATRIX 4D probes:

Each system does an exceptional job at rendering a live 4D image of the heart, regardless of the method of acquisition. The biggest difference you’ll find is the weight of the probes, repairability, and OEM upgrades. For example, our probe repair partner has excellent repair capabilities on the Philips X7-2t, X8-2t, and can also provide extensive evaluations and consultation on the X5-1. Whereas, the GE 6VT-D and 4Vc-D probes are a little trickier to repair.

Both Philips and GE have been innovative with updating transducers on their premium systems. For example, the new GE 4Vc-D is an improvement on the GE 4V-D and runs on the newest version of the Vivid E95. In comparison, the Philips X8-2t is an improvement on the X7-2t and can run on the most up-to-date version of the Epiq 7. Philips, however, has currently outdone GE with their first ever 4D matrix volume vascular probe, the Philips XL14-3.

PRESETS AND APPLICATIONS

When it comes to applications and imaging tools, each system as their respective repertoire of utilities to improve cardiac ultrasound exams. For Philips, the Epiq 7’s suite of advanced applications and presets includes:

  • xMATRIX & xPlane3D Heart Scan on the Epiq 7 X7-2t
  • nSIGHT
  • MaxVue
  • HeartModel with Anatomical Intelligence Ultrasound (AIUS)

For the GE Vivid E95, the most popular features include:

  • Automated Function Imaging (AFI)
  • 4D Strain
  • 4D Auto RVQ
  • TCI and ACEPhilips X7-2t on the Epiq 7
  • Blood Speckle Imaging (BSI)
  • True Confocal Imaging

The GE Vivid E95 premium cardiac ultrasound system can even take advantage of GE’s HDLive 4D imaging technology through the GE 6VT-D and GE 4Vc-D 4D matrix ultrasound transducers. This does give the E95 a slight advantage over the Epiq 7 as it has a good amount more of presets and scanning options that the Epiq 7 does not.

WHICH IS BETTER FOR YOU?

Both of these systems are premium cardiac systems, meaning each would be a wonderful addition to any critical cardiology environment. However – like with any questions regarding which ultrasound system is the best choice for you – the answer is: it depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for the absolute best cardiac ultrasound system that money can buy on the refurbished ultrasound market, we believe the GE Vivid E95 is the best solution. With cSound 3.0 and GE’s latest transducer technology, it has all the bells and whistles any cardiologist could ask for. However, if you’re looking for a powerful cardiac system that’s a bit more portable and ergonomic with most of the same capabilities at a lower price point, the Epiq 7 is the ultrasound system is what you need. Especially with the repair capabilities that our partner, Probo Medical, has on the Philips X7-2t & X8-2t TEE probes. The Epiq 7 costs about $20,000.00 less than the Vivid E95, so in that regard, the Epiq 7 is the best bang for your buck if you’re looking for a premium cardiac ultrasound system.

Note that each of these systems also has an entry-level option available in the Philips Epiq 5 and GE Vivid E90, although you would lose the advanced cardiac features.