Finding an ultrasound machine that integrates well into your medical practice is critical to providing quality patient care. But with so many different models and system features to choose from, it’s hard to know where to start.

This article aims to simplify your ultrasound purchasing decision by introducing the GE Vivid S60 and comparing it to three alternative ultrasound machines – the GE Vivid S70, the Philips Affiniti 50, and the Philips ClearVue 550.

Read on for a comparison of each ultrasound machine’s clinical strengths and weaknesses, standout features, price, pros and cons, and more.

Ultrasound Machine	Details
GE Vivid S60	Price Range: $45,000 to $67,500 Monitor Size: 19 inches Imaging Modes: 2D Probe Ports: 3 probe ports Controls: Knobs, buttons, trackball, and 12-inch touch screen   Applications: Cardiac, OB/GYN, MSK, Urology Key Features: B-Flow, M-Mode, Anatomical M-Mode, Tissue M-Mode, Color Doppler, CW Doppler, PW Doppler, Tissue harmonic imaging, Tissue tracing mode, Strain and strain rate, Tissue synchronization, Auto EF, Auto IMT, DICOM 3.1, Stress echo, Panoramic imaging
GE Vivid S70	Price Range: $49,000 to $73,500 Monitor Size: 19 inches Imaging Modes: 2D/3D/4D Probe Ports: 3 probe ports Controls: Knobs, buttons, trackball, and 12-inch touch screen Applications: Cardiac, OB/GYN, MSK, Urology Key Features: M-Mode, Anatomical M-Mode, Color M-Mode, Color Doppler, CW Doppler, PW Doppler, Tissue velocity M-Mode, Tissue synchronization, Tissue harmonic imaging, Strain and strain rate, Stress echo, Speckle reduction, Compound imaging, Auto IMT, DICOM 3.1, CD/DVD-R drive, Quantitative analysis, AFI, Auto ejection fraction, Scan Assistant, 4D TEE, Blood flow imaging
Philips Affiniti 50	Price Range: $27,000 to $38,000 Monitor Size: 21.5” LCD Imaging Modes: 2D, 3D, and 4D Probe Ports: 4 probe ports Controls: Knobs, buttons, trackball, and 12-inch touch screen Applications: Cardiac, OB/GYN, Vascular, MSK, Urology, Emergency medicine Key Features: Touchscreen, 4 active probe ports, PureWave transducers
Philips ClearVue 550	Price Range: $18,000 to $27,000 Monitor Size: 17 inches Imaging Modes: 2D/3D/4D Probe Ports: 4 probe ports Controls: Buttons, knobs, and trackball Applications: Cardiac, OB/GYN, Vascular, MSK, Urology, 4D Key Features: M-Mode, Anatomical M-Mode, Color Doppler, PW Doppler, CW Doppler, Tissue Doppler, DICOM 3.1, Tissue harmonic imaging, Speckle reduction, Compound imaging, Panoramic imaging, Auto image opt (B mode), Auto NT measurement, Scan Assistant

GE Vivid S60 Vs. Similar Models

The GE Vivid S60 is an industry stand-out when it comes to price-to-performance ratio.

Its price point places it in the midrange of shared service ultrasound machine options. At the same time, it has a set of advanced imaging capabilities that rival some of the most expensive devices on the market.

Despite the GE Vivid S60’s impressive combination of price and performance, one of its alternatives may be a better fit for your clinic’s imaging needs.

The GE Vivid S70, Philips Affiniti 50, and Philips ClearVue 550 are all shared service devices that offer exceptional imaging performance in various clinical settings. The next section breaks down each machine’s unique features, pros, and cons to help prospective buyers identify the best fit for their medical practice.

GE Vivid S60

The Vivid S60 is a midrange ultrasound machine with an impressive suite of premium imaging features. It replaces GE’s earlier S5 and S6 models with improvements in the software architecture and processing power.

The GE Vivid S60’s design caters to the most demanding cardiovascular imaging needs but also provides exceptional performance for a variety of clinical applications, including:

• OB/GYN
• MSK
• Urology
• Abdominal
• Pediatric
• Small parts

A standout feature in the GE Vivid S60 is its cSound software architecture. This leading-edge technology enables deeper scanning depths and enhances image resolution at every level. Using cSound, clinicians are able to scan hard-to-image patients with greater accuracy and confidence.

The GE Vivid S60 also boasts excellent transportability. Its sleek, lightweight design is ideal for healthcare teams that frequently move their imaging equipment in and out of exam rooms and between distant clinical locations.

The GE Vivid S60 ranges between $45,000 and $67,500.

Pros:

• B-Flow imaging for enhanced visualization of moving blood cells
• M-Mode, Anatomical M-Mode, and Tissue M-Mode features for accurate, real-time measurements of various echo parameters
• Various Doppler modes, including Color, Continuous-Wave, and Pulsed-Wave Doppler
• Tissue harmonic imaging improves image clarity by enhancing edge detection so patient anatomy is clearly defined
• Tissue tracing mode for real-time tracking of moving soft tissue
• Strain and Strain rate feature allows clinicians to assess myocardial function
• Tissue Synchronization feature allows clinicians to assess Left Ventricular dyssynchrony
• Auto Ejection Fraction feature provides an automated measurement of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) during cardiac exams
• Auto Intima-Media Thickness (IMT) feature gives automatic measurements of anterior and posterior walls for accurate carotid status
• Stress Echo to evaluate heart function under stress
• Panoramic imaging to measure objects/masses larger than the field of view
• DICOM 3.1 compatibility

Cons:

• No 3D/4D imaging

GE Vivid S70

The GE Vivid S70 is on par with the Vivid S60 in its cardiac imaging, cSound software architecture, processing power, and transportability.

The GE Vivid S70 raises the bar on the Vivid S60 with the addition of 3D and 4D imaging modes. Using 4D, clinicians can view live videos of a patient’s anatomy with incredible structural detail.

The GE Vivid S70 is also compatible with a broader range of transducers compared to the Vivid S60. This includes the M5Sc-D XDclear probe – a single crystal transducer that provides remarkably clear images with a wider and deeper field of view.

Clinicians can also use a 4D TEE probe with the GE Vivid S70, allowing them to view feature-rich images of the heart. The 4D TEE probe also supports invasive surgical procedures in the operating room and image-guided procedures in the cath lab.

Advanced 4D imaging capabilities and a broader range of transducer options raise the starting price of the GE Vivid S70 slightly above the Vivid S60, costing between $49,000 and $73,500.

Pros:

• Speckle reduction feature improves the quality of B-Mode scanning by reducing artifacts
• Compound Imaging combines sonographic information from different angles for improved image detail
• Quantitative analysis tools
• Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI) feature to estimate amniotic fluid volume in a pregnant uterus
• Scan Assistant tool lets users save scanning protocols for routine imaging exams
• M-Mode, Anatomical M-Mode, Tissue velocity M-Mode, and Color M-Mode features for accurate, real-time measurements of various echo parameters
• Various Doppler modes, including Color, Continuous-Wave, and Pulsed-Wave Doppler
• Strain and Strain rate feature allows clinicians to assess myocardial function
• Tissue Synchronization feature allows clinicians to assess Left Ventricular dyssynchrony
• Tissue harmonic imaging improves image clarity by enhancing edge detection so patient anatomy is clearly defined
• Stress Echo to evaluate heart function under stress
• Auto Intima-Media Thickness (IMT) feature gives automatic measurements of anterior and posterior walls for accurate carotid status
• Auto Ejection Fraction feature provides an automated measurement of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) during cardiac exams
• 3D and 4D imaging

Cons:

• No HD Live imaging
• No Spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC)
• No Shear Wave Elastography

Philips Affiniti 50

The Philips Affiniti 50 shares a number of similarities with the GE Vivid S60. It is a midrange, shared service ultrasound machine that offers exceptional imaging performance in multiple clinical settings, including Cardiac, OB/GYN, Vascular, MSK, Urology, and Emergency Medicine.

Like the GE Vivid S60, the Philips Affiniti 50 has a broad range of Doppler modes for imaging blood flow, including:

• B Doppler
• M Doppler
• Pulsed-Wave (PW) Doppler
• Continuous-Wave (CW) Doppler
• Color Flow Doppler

With PureWave crystal transducer technology combined with advanced scanning features like Panoramic imaging, and 3D/4D image modes, the Philips Affiniti 50 produces astonishingly clear images and video on its 21.5” LCD monitor.

The Philips Affiniti 50 sets itself apart from the competition with its high-end QLAB software, allowing clinicians to easily expand a patient’s diagnostic information with various QLAB assessment and analysis apps, including:

• GI 3D quantification
• Intima-Media Thickness (IMT)
• MicroVascular Imaging (MVI)
• Vascular Plaque Quantification (VPQ)

The price for the Philips Affiniti 50 ranges between $27,000 and $38,000.

Pros:

• DICOM 3.1 compatibility
• Tissue Specific Presets (TSP) for improved imaging in hard-to-image patients
• AutoSCAN automatically and continuously optimizes the brightness of the image at the default gain and TGC settings
• Tissue Harmonic Imaging improves image clarity by enhancing edge detection, so patient anatomy is clearly defined
• Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography (CEUS) improves visualization of anatomic structure and lesions, especially for patients with contraindications to CT and MRI
• Anatomically Intelligent Ultrasound (AIUS) feature automatically identifies anatomy and performs the most common tasks during exams

Cons:

• No HD Live
• No 3D Echo

Philips ClearVue 550

The Philips ClearVue 550 is an economy-priced ultrasound machine with a decent set of premium-level imaging capabilities. Among its class, the Philips ClearVue 550 has one of the best price-to-performance profiles.

The Philips ClearVue 550 is one of the few ultrasound machines at its price point that offers advanced 3D/4D imaging modes and shared service functionality. It excels in the areas of cardiac and OB/GYN imaging and also has clinical applications for:

• Vascular
• MSK
• Urology
• Pediatrics
• Small Parts

The Philips ClearVue 550’s impressive array of advanced imaging capabilities includes tissue harmonic imaging. Tissue harmonic imaging relies on tissue-specific signals while filtering out transducer-related noise, resulting in crisper images.

The Philips ClearVue 550 also has multiple Doppler modes, including:

• Color Doppler
• Tissue Doppler
• Pulsed-Wave (PW) Doppler
• Continuous-Wave (CW) Doppler

The price of the Philips ClearVue 550 ranges between $18,000 and $27,000.

Pros:

• Compact, lightweight design allows for easy transport between exam rooms
• Compound imaging to combine sonographic information from different angles for improved image detail
• Panoramic imaging to measure objects/masses larger than the field of view
• Speckle Reduction feature enhances the quality of B-Mode scanning by reducing artifacts
• Auto image optimization (B-Mode)
• Auto Nuchal Translucency (NT) measurement for improved diagnosis of fetal defects and genetic syndromes
• Scan Assistant tool lets users save scanning protocols for routine imaging exams
• DICOM 3.1 compatibility

Cons:

• No Spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC)
• No Stress Echo
• No Strain and Strain Rate
• No Shear Wave Elastography
• No Auto IMT

What to Consider When Buying an Ultrasound Machine

Finding the best-fitting ultrasound machine for your medical practice leads to higher quality patient care, improved office efficiency, and reduced exam times. To get the greatest value from your ultrasound purchase, consider the following:

• The intended clinical use of your ultrasound
• The device’s ergonomic benefits
• The seller’s after-sales technical support

Intended Clinical Use

The intended clinical use of your device is the most critical factor to consider before making your ultrasound purchase. For example, medical practices specializing in women’s healthcare usually need a different ultrasound machine than Intensive Care Units.

Additionally, multi-specialty hospitals will benefit from purchasing an ultrasound with shared service functionality. On the other hand, single-specialty medical practices may want an ultrasound machine with a single clinical application tailored for their specialty.

Ergonomic Benefits

An ultrasound’s ergonomic benefit is an important consideration for clinicians who spend a large portion of their day imaging patients. An ultrasound machine with an ergonomic design improves the comfortability of the user experience. It also streamlines the scanning workflow for greater ease of use.

Ergonomic features to seek out include:

• 360° articulating arm
• Adjustable monitor to achieve optimal viewing angles
• Adjustable console for both seating and standing use
• Cable management features prevent cords from tangling and dragging

Reliable After-Sales Technical Support

In the fast-paced environment of a hospital or clinic, imaging equipment is easily subject to eventual wear and tear from repeated clinical use.

Before purchasing an ultrasound system, It’s essential to assess the reputation of the seller and the quality of their after-sales technical support. Do they offer repair or replacement services? How quickly do they respond to machinery failures?

Strata Imaging is a trusted industry leader when it comes to exemplary after-sales technical support. We strive for a 24 hour or less response time to customer repair requests and offer an extensive collection of imaging equipment, parts, and accessories. Plus, every Strata purchase comes with unlimited access to our dedicated customer service and repair team.

Why Buy From Strata?

The GE Vivid S60, GE Vivid S70, Philips Affiniti 50, and Philips ClearVue 550 are all shared service ultrasound machines with exceptional performance across multiple medical specialties.

In addition to the four ultrasound machines compared in this article, Strata Imaging offers complete rental, maintenance, repair, and sale of almost every type of ultrasound machine and related peripherals to all 50 states.

Browse our extensive catalog of ultrasound equipment to find the best fit for your medical practice.

When you buy from Strata Imaging, you get more than a first-class machine at a great price. You also gain access to our expert repair team and knowledgeable customer service reps.

Give us a call today at 866-770-9605 or fill out this form with any questions you have, and our dedicated service team will gladly assist you.

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