GREEN BAY, WI – The need for speed drove the NFL's Green Bay Packers to take digital x-ray capability into the football stadium.

The football team recently turned to Rochester, N.Y.-based Carestream Health to provide technology that captures images digitally in less than a minute.

"Having immediate access to a digital image is a huge advantage when we need to make decisions about whether a player can return to the game," said Pepper Burruss, head athletic trainer for the Green Bay Packers. "This system also delivers excellent image quality, which is not only critical for game-day decisions but also for making medical decisions during practices and training camp."

In the time it used to take to process a single film image, athletic trainers and physicians can complete an entire imaging exam and view it on a workstation to determine the severity of an injury, how to treat it and whether the player can return to the game, Burruss said.
 
The recently installed imaging equipment consists of a KODAK DIRECTVIEW Classic CR System for digital image capture, a workstation for image viewing and short-term storage, a laser printer and a CD burner.

Visiting teams also benefit from this digital imaging solution, since medical exams on their players can be burned to CDs for convenient storage and access.

In the future, the Packers also plan to electronically transmit imaging studies to orthopedic specialists and physicians in remote locations.

"Being able to digitally capture and store high-quality digital x-ray images can help protect the health of each player and can ultimately enhance the team's performance," said Connie Pettijohn, vice president of corporate accounts and strategic alliances for Carestream Health.
 
Packers photo by silwenae and obtained under Creative Commons license.