#GoodNews: OXOS Medical proposes an easily deployable chest X-ray device for diagnosing, monitoring and clinical decision-making.
OXOS Medical is the producer of the Micro C, the world’s first handheld orthopedic x-ray. This device pairs a seven-pound emitter with a ten-pound detector to enable fast, safe, and portable X-ray imaging. Micro C has been designed to image distal extremities to detect musculoskeletal injuries. The device incorporates a number of technical innovations in x-ray tube design, computer vision, medical image analysis, and packaging. OXOS was founded in Savannah in 2016 as Micro C Imaging, LLC and now, as OXOS Medical, Inc, has expanded its scope as a developer of advanced orthopedic imaging devices and software.
At the invitation of the National Science Foundation, OXOS Medical has responded to the call for proposals for specialized equipment to be considered under the Rapid Response Research (RAPID) funding mechanism to develop processes and actions to address the global challenge of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). “In consultation with pulmonologists, anesthesiologists, and surgeons, OXOS has determined that having an easily deployable chest X-ray would be critical for the management of the COVID-19 pandemic: providing a portable, at-home, method to aid in diagnosing, monitoring and clinical decision making,” stated Dr. Gregory Kolovich, OXOS Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer.
The long incubation period hastens transmission as asymptomatic carriers continue everyday contact. Covid-19 primarily attacks the lungs, which is especially dangerous for the elderly, the immunocompromised and those with decreased lung function. Most alarmingly, if the disease progresses as projected, outstanding infections will far outstrip the ICU, CCU and Radiographic capabilities of the health system. While steps have been taken to reduce the outbreak, the need for additional detection, treatment, and management capability is paramount. Dr. Kolovich continues, “Enabling non-critical and lower-risk patients to manage the symptoms and progression of the virus at home, without visits to critical emergency departments, would alleviate the enormous pressure on the system at large.”
With the modification of the Micro C, a Certified Nurse Assistant, or other trained personnel, could be triaged to an asymptomatic patient’s home and rapidly collect a chest x-ray either in conjunction with a flu swab, oral temperature and pulse oximetry reading or without depending on resource availability. Through the OXOS platform, or through integration with current telemedical solutions, these tests can be sent to a pulmonologist for timely analysis enabling treatment planning. Citing the practicality of an OXOS solution, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Evan Ruff explains, “With the deployment of this system, the exam could be executed by a resource with very little training. Additionally, the exam would likely take under 15 minutes.” In this case, it is likely that a single mobile unit could examine between 20-30 patients in a day. A moderately sized fleet of mobile examiners has the potential to save thousands of Emergency Department visits per day as the device leverages OXOS’s always-on, cloud-connected platform for image sharing, analysis, and collaboration. “OXOS is well prepared to meet the two technical objectives of this project: enabling portable chest X-ray by modifying the existing Micro C to increase the x-ray output and tuning the image algorithms and enabling increased production capability,” explains Ruff.
For more information about OXOS’s work in advanced orthopedic imaging, contact [email protected].
