GlobalDiagnostiX

Target SDGs

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Public Sector Agencies, NGOs

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

Organizations involved include: GlobalDiagnotix (Pristem), Paul Scherrer Institute, the EssentialMed Foundation, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CHUV (Lausanne University Hospital), University Hospital of Yaoundé (CHUY) in Cameroon, the University Research Center on Energy for Health Care (CURES) in Cameroon

Regions

Africa

Manufacturing/Building Method

The current iteration of the product is a prototype but the plan is that Pristem, a Swiss company, will manufacture the GlobalDiagnostiX system.

Intellectural Property Type

Select Type

User Provision Model

Currently the system is being tested so users get the machine directly from the designer.

Distributions to Date Status

Unknown

Design Specifications

The GlobalDiagnostiX system has an all-in-one digital control system. The mechanical design is ergonomic. It can also withstand dust, heat, and humidity, so it can be used in many climates. The GlobalDiagnostiX system can also be paired with a teleradiology system. Its fabrication costs are between 20 to 50% lower than the flat panel solutions available in the market today, making it a low-cost device. Additionally, the system presents a modular design that allows it to be easily repaired.

Product Schematics

Technical Support

User training is provided by GlobalDiagnostiX and local technicians are trained to perform maintenance.

Replacement Components

Replacement components are not available as the product is still in development.

Lifecycle

Unknown

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

The system seeks to provide high-quality digital image acquisition, similar to commercially available products. It must show robustness and the capability to work in harsh tropical environments, performing efficiently under conditions of high temperature and humidity. Finally, all the system components (Internet connection, modules' remote maintenance and U-arm mechanical controls) were carefully selected focusing on optimizing it to fullfil the previous targets, preserving its cost-effectiveness.

Vetted Performance Status

The developed system was characterized at the Institute of Radiation Physics (IRA) from the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) using different standard medical radiology measurement setups. Regarding robustness, high temperature (50ºC) and humidity (>90% RH) conditions did not show any significant degradation of the signal to noise ratio. Under harsh environments, it can generate high quality medical diagnostic images with detective quantum efficiency (DQE) levels up to 60 % (@ 2.34 µGy). The implemented modular design provided easy repairing and maintenance, and the fabrications costs remained low in comparison to similar products in the market. However, due to the lower optical coupling of the implemented architecture, the DQE levels of the developed detector are around 15% lower than the average DQE levels for commercial flat panels, which are around 70% (CsI:Ti) and 35% (Gd2O2S:Tb). The DQE levels measured with GlobalDiagnostiX are 60% (CsI:Ti) and 30% (Gd2O2S:Tb).

Safety

As with any radiograhpic system precautions should be taken to reduce the staff and patient dose exposure.

Complementary Technical Systems

Teleradiology & mobile phones

Academic Research and References

Compliance with regulations

CE marking

Evaluation methods

To characterize the system, different standard medical radiology measurement setups were used, and each component’s performance was evaluated. Image quality assessment for the X-ray characterization; for scintillators and lenses, the detective quantum efficiency and low modulation transfer function was calculated. The characterization of the color sensors was performed using the evaluation boards provided by the manufacturer.

Other Information

None