Novel Ultrasound System Designed to Address Healthcare Needs in Developing Countries
|
By MedImaging International staff writers Posted on 03 Jun 2015 |
|
Image: Vscan Access Ultrasound System (Photo courtesy of GE Healthcare).
A new portable ultrasound system, specially designed to help midwives, general practitioners, paramedics, clinical officers, and other primary healthcare workers in developing countries make pregnancy assessments, has been showcased at the 68th session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva (Switzerland).
Many countries still face high pregnancy-related mortality. Improving maternal and the health of newborn babies is one of the most urgent healthcare priorities worldwide, and one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in the Millenium Development Goals (MDG).
The Vscan Access system was showcase by GE Healthcare (Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, UK), and is the latest in a series of ultrasound products intended to meet the needs of developing countries. GE Healthcare programs exist Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, and in Asia.
The Vscan Access system is lightweight, portable, and has a robust and dust-resistant design. The system has flexible charging options, and Bluetooth and wireless connectivity to facilitate telehealth consulting with remote experts, and data transfer to patients’ referral facilities.
Anders Wold, president and CEO of GE Healthcare’s Ultrasound business, said, “Based on five years of collaborative field research with stakeholders in more than 20 countries, GE Healthcare understands the challenges Ministries of Health face in developing nations, including: physician shortages in high-mortality and low-resource areas, pregnant women not seeking antenatal care (ANC), and lack of access to appropriate diagnostic devices in the primary care setting. Studies have shown ultrasound can help enable task-shifting to midwives for basic obstetric scanning, mobilize mothers to seek more ANC visits and improve pregnancy management through early detection and referral of pregnancy complications.”
Related Links:
GE Healthcare
Many countries still face high pregnancy-related mortality. Improving maternal and the health of newborn babies is one of the most urgent healthcare priorities worldwide, and one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in the Millenium Development Goals (MDG).
The Vscan Access system was showcase by GE Healthcare (Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, UK), and is the latest in a series of ultrasound products intended to meet the needs of developing countries. GE Healthcare programs exist Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, and in Asia.
The Vscan Access system is lightweight, portable, and has a robust and dust-resistant design. The system has flexible charging options, and Bluetooth and wireless connectivity to facilitate telehealth consulting with remote experts, and data transfer to patients’ referral facilities.
Anders Wold, president and CEO of GE Healthcare’s Ultrasound business, said, “Based on five years of collaborative field research with stakeholders in more than 20 countries, GE Healthcare understands the challenges Ministries of Health face in developing nations, including: physician shortages in high-mortality and low-resource areas, pregnant women not seeking antenatal care (ANC), and lack of access to appropriate diagnostic devices in the primary care setting. Studies have shown ultrasound can help enable task-shifting to midwives for basic obstetric scanning, mobilize mothers to seek more ANC visits and improve pregnancy management through early detection and referral of pregnancy complications.”
Related Links:
GE Healthcare
Half Apron
Demi
Ultrasound Needle Guidance System
SonoSite L25
Radiation Safety Barrier
RayShield Intensi-Barrier
MRI System
nanoScan MRI 3T/7T
Latest Ultrasound News
- Wearable Ultrasound Imaging System to Enable Real-Time Disease Monitoring
- Ultrasound Technique Visualizes Deep Blood Vessels in 3D Without Contrast Agents
- Ultrasound Probe Images Entire Organ in 4D
- Disposable Ultrasound Patch Performs Better Than Existing Devices
- Non-Invasive Ultrasound-Based Tool Accurately Detects Infant Meningitis
- Breakthrough Deep Learning Model Enhances Handheld 3D Medical Imaging
- Pain-Free Breast Imaging System Performs One Minute Cancer Scan
- Wireless Chronic Pain Management Device to Reduce Need for Painkillers and Surgery
- New Medical Ultrasound Imaging Technique Enables ICU Bedside Monitoring
- New Incision-Free Technique Halts Growth of Debilitating Brain Lesions
- AI-Powered Lung Ultrasound Outperforms Human Experts in Tuberculosis Diagnosis
- AI Identifies Heart Valve Disease from Common Imaging Test
- Novel Imaging Method Enables Early Diagnosis and Treatment Monitoring of Type 2 Diabetes
- Ultrasound-Based Microscopy Technique to Help Diagnose Small Vessel Diseases
- Smart Ultrasound-Activated Immune Cells Destroy Cancer Cells for Extended Periods
- Tiny Magnetic Robot Takes 3D Scans from Deep Within Body
Channels
Radiography
view channel
X-Ray Breakthrough Captures Three Image-Contrast Types in Single Shot
Detecting early-stage cancer or subtle changes deep inside tissues has long challenged conventional X-ray systems, which rely only on how structures absorb radiation. This limitation keeps many microstructural... Read more
AI Generates Future Knee X-Rays to Predict Osteoarthritis Progression Risk
Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease affecting over 500 million people worldwide, is the leading cause of disability among older adults. Current diagnostic tools allow doctors to assess damage... Read more
MRI
view channel
Novel Imaging Approach to Improve Treatment for Spinal Cord Injuries
Vascular dysfunction in the spinal cord contributes to multiple neurological conditions, including traumatic injuries and degenerative cervical myelopathy, where reduced blood flow can lead to progressive... Read more
AI-Assisted Model Enhances MRI Heart Scans
A cardiac MRI can reveal critical information about the heart’s function and any abnormalities, but traditional scans take 30 to 90 minutes and often suffer from poor image quality due to patient movement.... Read more
AI Model Outperforms Doctors at Identifying Patients Most At-Risk of Cardiac Arrest
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is one of the most common inherited heart conditions and a leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young individuals and athletes. While many patients live normal lives, some... Read more
Nuclear Medicine
view channel
PET Imaging of Inflammation Predicts Recovery and Guides Therapy After Heart Attack
Acute myocardial infarction can trigger lasting heart damage, yet clinicians still lack reliable tools to identify which patients will regain function and which may develop heart failure.... Read more
Radiotheranostic Approach Detects, Kills and Reprograms Aggressive Cancers
Aggressive cancers such as osteosarcoma and glioblastoma often resist standard therapies, thrive in hostile tumor environments, and recur despite surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. These tumors also... Read more
New Imaging Solution Improves Survival for Patients with Recurring Prostate Cancer
Detecting recurrent prostate cancer remains one of the most difficult challenges in oncology, as standard imaging methods such as bone scans and CT scans often fail to accurately locate small or early-stage tumors.... Read more
General/Advanced Imaging
view channel
3D Scanning Approach Enables Ultra-Precise Brain Surgery
Precise navigation is critical in neurosurgery, yet even small alignment errors can affect outcomes when operating deep within the brain. A new 3D surface-scanning approach now provides a radiation-free... Read more
AI Tool Improves Medical Imaging Process by 90%
Accurately labeling different regions within medical scans, a process known as medical image segmentation, is critical for diagnosis, surgery planning, and research. Traditionally, this has been a manual... Read more
New Ultrasmall, Light-Sensitive Nanoparticles Could Serve as Contrast Agents
Medical imaging technologies face ongoing challenges in capturing accurate, detailed views of internal processes, especially in conditions like cancer, where tracking disease development and treatment... Read more
AI Algorithm Accurately Predicts Pancreatic Cancer Metastasis Using Routine CT Images
In pancreatic cancer, detecting whether the disease has spread to other organs is critical for determining whether surgery is appropriate. If metastasis is present, surgery is not recommended, yet current... Read moreImaging IT
view channel
New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible
Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more
Global AI in Medical Diagnostics Market to Be Driven by Demand for Image Recognition in Radiology
The global artificial intelligence (AI) in medical diagnostics market is expanding with early disease detection being one of its key applications and image recognition becoming a compelling consumer proposition... Read more
Industry News
view channel
GE HealthCare and NVIDIA Collaboration to Reimagine Diagnostic Imaging
GE HealthCare (Chicago, IL, USA) has entered into a collaboration with NVIDIA (Santa Clara, CA, USA), expanding the existing relationship between the two companies to focus on pioneering innovation in... Read more
Patient-Specific 3D-Printed Phantoms Transform CT Imaging
New research has highlighted how anatomically precise, patient-specific 3D-printed phantoms are proving to be scalable, cost-effective, and efficient tools in the development of new CT scan algorithms... Read more
Siemens and Sectra Collaborate on Enhancing Radiology Workflows
Siemens Healthineers (Forchheim, Germany) and Sectra (Linköping, Sweden) have entered into a collaboration aimed at enhancing radiologists' diagnostic capabilities and, in turn, improving patient care... Read more