Mobile Hybrid CBCT Scanner

•

2022

The importance of mobile hospitals has increased due to COVID-19, and the demand for mobile hybrid CT (Computed Tomography) has surged to optimize point-of-care.

In the operating room, equipment for various purposes such as general radiography imaging (RAD), fluoroscopy (Fluoro), and tomography is required, and the flow of the medical staff becomes complicated.

The design of this mobile 3-in-1 CBCT scanner is free from the limitations of the existing stand-type scanner as can be rotated and moved in a limited space to optimize the access of the medical staff in the operating room.

for JPI Healthcare

Limitation of patients’ move and accessibility of medical staff in the operating room is the core value of the design. For example, vascular interventional therapy and surgery can be operated simultaneously with scanning, to focus on patient protection.

The compact design considered the medical staff’s flow and environment of use so minimized the volume of the lower fixed part and the dead space on the side of the gantry to facilitate movement.

This allows an increase in the bore’s size, so helps to scan larger areas and reduce patients’ claustrophobia. The priority design was patient-friendly.

The mobile scanner is designed with a very compact size considering the large bore, with a friendly form that can reduce patients’ anxiety and intimidation. Also, it greatly reduces claustrophobia as the patient does not need to move to the center of the hole to generate an image. The streamlined design and large bore reduce the risk of infection, making it suitable for facilities related to COVID-19 treatment.

The fixed gantry and the silhouette of the entire scanner are connected and give visual unity and stability, in order to relieve the medical staff's anxiety about collision during the rotation of the collimator and detector.

A staff member can steer the four-wheeled mechanic with a steering wheel or tablet to allow free rotation in a narrow operating room and safe autonomous driving in hospitals. The 4-point motorized support can be raised and lowered for fixation.

It has a wide bore (66cm), so it is possible to shoot with a wide angle of view (500mm), and vibration caused by the rotation of the drive unit is supplemented by a sensor and a damper, so it allows high-quality (140µm) images enhanced with ultra-low dose.

The detachable tablet supports shooting shots, shooting position and angle adjustment, emergency stop button, and patient bed position adjustment.

The mobile scanner can autonomously drive in all directions with four-wheel omnidirectional Mecanum wheels. The Adaptive front lighting system and the Safety zone lighting system are applied to actively express the danger zone.

With 1/10 ultra-low dose compared to fixed scanners, radiation shielding work is not required, and there is no need for separate electrical work as it uses a general wall power supply.

Above all, reducing the patient's claustrophobia and enhancing accessibility of the medical staff
by designing a wide bore will greatly contribute to the improvement of the medical environment and the creation of positive surgical results.

The demand for minimum invasive surgery is rapidly increasing due to the increase in serious diseases such as musculoskeletal disorders and cardiovascular diseases, due to the accelerating aged population.

At the same time, on-site treatment becomes important as the need for precision diagnostic medical devices for early diagnosis such as lung cancer, and pneumonia in the operating room but also in the isolated general wards, due to COVID-19.

From this experience, we found that providing medical staff-friendly design also provides well-being for patients.