EMVision’s First Responder proof-of-concept brain scanner tested in remote settings
ASX-listed brain scanner company EMVision has announced that its First Responder Proof-of-Concept (PoC) device has been put through a series of volunteer scans in remote settings, in collaboration with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) and the Australian Stroke Alliance.
In a statement on Wednesday, the company shared that RFDS staff had received preliminary training for using the device, which is being developed to assess both stroke and the type of stroke a patient might be suffering.
According to EMVision, scans were completed and the device displayed “an ability to withstand the physical stress, environmental conditions and operational constraints unique to aeromedical retrieval”.
“These studies are a key step in the development program of the EMVision First Responder device and learnings generated will inform progress from our current advanced prototypes to production equivalent commercial units,” said EMVision CEO, Scott Kirkland.
The company expects RFDS staff to enrol and scan patients in a usability and workflow implementation study “in the coming weeks”, and an ethics application for this is currently under review.
The study – involving the RFDS, South Australia Ambulance Service’s (SAAS) emergency retrieval service MedStar, South Australia Health’s Rural Support Services, the Royal Adelaide Hospital and the Australian Stroke Alliance – will evaluate “usability, reliability, functionality, workflow metrics and other tests” for the device “as necessary to meet user and international regulatory requirements.”
“Patients in rural and remote locations experience 17 per cent more strokes than urban dwellers and receive less specialist stroke care due to the challenges of transport and distances to be travelled. Urgent onsite brain imaging is a critical first step in the stroke treatment pathway,” said neurologist Professor Geoffrey Donnan, co-chair of the Australian Stroke Alliance.
Separately, the company is developing a bedside scanner, named “emu”, which also uses microwaves to scan the brain. The smaller First Responder device is EMVision’s second-generation product and weighs under ten kilograms.
Both machines aim to provide a much quicker “triage, transfer and treatment decisions” by health professionals, increasing the chance of a successful recovery.
“Time is brain” is a saying used in the stroke treatment community, and an estimated 1.9 million brain cells die per minute following a stroke.
Picture: supplied
Further reading
EMVision scanner device successfully identifies stroke
EMVision reveals first responder stroke scanner
EMVision completes pilot line, receives $1.25 million grant payment
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