To continue our C-Arm Comparison Series we have decided to have the GE OEC 9800 fight the GE OEC 9900 in a cage fight to the death. Sounds exciting right? Well, I wish it was that dramatic but since it’s two of the most commonly cross-shopped systems, we thought we better give our customers and potential customers a brief overview of the main differences between the two systems. Currently, the GE OEC 9900 C-Arm system is considered the Gold Standard when it comes to c-arms. Every major hospital has one, every physician that uses c-arms wants one; its the Ferrari of the c-arm world. So why not buy it? Well for one reason, it comes with a Ferrari-like cost. With the following comparison you can educate yourself on the differences between the two models, and see if the features are worth the costs for your facility and your current budget goals.

Dates Of Manufacture: 

Of course the most obvious of differences is going to be the dates of manufacture. The GE OEC 9800 C-Arm was produced from 2000 to 2006 where the GE OEC 9900 was produced starting in 2006 and is still currently in production. This means that if you want a unit that has a manufacture date of 2006 or newer your only option is to go with the 9900 C-Arm or another model from a different brand such as Ziehm.

Image Chain:

The imaging chain is identical in both units. Yep, that’s correct I said identical. Both the 9900 and 9800 have the same 1k x 1k imaging chain on them. This means the CCD camera and x-ray tube units are all the same. I have heard. time after time, that the image quality is better on the 9900, but in reality, that’s mostly from slightly better quality monitors and some software changes.

Hardware:

With the 9900 c-arm there are a few modern changes to the hardware when compared to the 9800 c-arm. The first and most obvious of these is the Monitors. With the 9900, GE swapped out the CRT style monitors for a much more stylish swivel flat panel set up. These new monitors can be articulated for better viewing angles when working on a patient within the OR , and offer a bump in resolution, brightness, and contrast. The monitors are the number one factor that contributes to the perceived image quality improvement over that of the 9800 c-arm. A comparison that would be similar would be having your HD satellite TV hooked up to an HD TV compared to an Ultra HD TV. Both produce wonderful images but one has better brightness and contrast over the other.

The next hardware improvement is that GE has done away with the floppy drive and moved over to USB storage and DVD burner. This allows transfer of files that are large in size such as CINE loops to be much easier and faster. On top of that, the USB allows unlimited external storage.

Lastly, the hard drives used in the GE OEC 9900 have been upgraded and provide large internal storage capacity and faster computing speeds.

Software:

In regards to software GE made a few changes:

  • Updated Some Options Within The Vascular & Higher Software Packages
  • Added Image Presets
  • Added HIPAA Secure View
  • Renamed the 9800 Basic Vascular Package to the PM Care Package on the 9900, as well as renamed the 9800 Neuro Vascular Package to the Vascular MTS Package on the 9900.

Price:

And finally one of the most important factors …. price. In today’s market (as of this writing) you can expect a comparable Refurbished 9800 C-Arm to sell for 50-75% less then that of a new 9900 C-Arm and 40-50% less than that of a comparable Refurbished 9900 C-Arm.

Recap:

To recap, both the 9800 and 9900 c-arms are top of the line units that offer high quality imaging. The 9900 is a mild update of the older 9800 that wins in the comparison of features with new monitors, USB / DVD storage, and some minor software tweaks, where the 9800 wins the comparison in price. The 9900 is ideal for larger chain hospitals with large budgets that demand the latest in technology, wherein comparison the 9800 is ideal for smaller bed hospitals and outpatient surgical centers that demand the best image quality at the best value.

If you have some questions after reading this article please post in the comments section below and we would be happy to answer them.  If you would like a quote on either system we would be happy to earn your business. For a quote simply give us a call or simply fill out our REQUEST A QUOTE form and a sales representative will be in contact with you shortly.