TI drives new market of handheld ultrasound systems with industry's smallest, lowest-power analog front ends

DALLAS (Sept. 29, 2008) - Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) today introduced two new integrated analog front ends (AFEs) for handheld ultrasound systems. The newest members of TI's AFE family for medical ultrasound, the industry-first 16-channel AFE5851 and the 8-channel AFE5801 bring breakthrough power efficiency and smaller footprint to support the new market for handheld ultrasound systems that can fit in a doctor's pocket (see www.ti.com/afe5801-pr).

New uses of electronic medical devices and emerging economies are driving the need for innovative, handheld ultrasound systems. Doctors in remote regions and medical technicians in first responder situations need a non-invasive tool for accurate, on-site diagnosis. By carrying a system at all times, doctors can also use ultrasound for new application areas, such as diagnosis of cardiac conditions.

source: Texas Instruments