Big demand for imaging equipment! From Portable X-ray to CT scanners, AI devices can help track Coronavirus

The devices have also found a mention on the central government’s list of 33 equipment which are critically needed to put up a strong fight against Coronavirus.

Coronavirus testing and treatment: Big surge in demand for imaging equipment! Apart from testing kits, ventilators, and PPE suits, the Coronavirus health crisis has also brought devices like CT-scanner and x-ray machines into the spotlight. The devices have also found a mention on the central government’s list of 33 equipment which are critically needed to put up a strong fight against Coronavirus.

The trend has also been attested to by the manufacturers of the imaging devices like CT-scanner and x-ray machines, which have recorded a steady growth in the demand for such devices from the hospitals of the state governments as well as private hospitals since the onset of Coronavirus disease, according to a report from the Indian Express.

According to health experts the devices have not only proved their worth in confirming the infection of Covid-19 in patients who have repeatedly got false negatives during RT-PCR test but also help in estimating the extent of damage caused to the lungs by the virus.

X-rays and CT scans can provide an indication of the disease even when the RT-PCR tests may throw up false negatives and help in giving the direction of treatment in similar cases, said G C Khilnani, Chairman, PSRI Institute of Pulmonary and Critical Care while speaking to IE. However, he also cautioned that such imaging tools should not be mixed with the diagnostic tools. He also added that these imaging tools are very expensive and have not penetrated into small cities and towns.

Imaging and scans of the chest and lungs are playing a major role that we had anticipated in this disease, Harsh Mahajan, Chief Radiologist and Founder of Mahajan Imaging, Delhi told IE. He also said that the effect of treatment and its progress can also be gauged with the help of scans of chest and lungs. Referring to an international analysis of imaging vis-a-vis Covid-19 patients, Mahajan said that 93 per cent of the 3615 Coronavirus patients developed a similar pattern and location of lung injuries.

Philips India has recently launched a portable ultrasound machine named “Lumify” which is as small as a pack of cigarette and costs Rs 10 lakh each. Apart from giving demonstrations to the NITI Aayog, the company is trying to sell the machines in hospitals where patients undergo repeated lung scans to gauge the effectiveness and direction of the treatment.

However, despite these findings no government directive has hinted at the use of X-ray and CT-scan machines in the diagnosis and testing of the patients, according to the manufacturers.They also said that the government focus at this stage remains to procure the testing kits and other life saving equipments like Oxygen cylinders and ventilators.

Dr G S K Velu, Chairman of Mumbai-based Trivitron Healthcare told IE that the imaging technology was extensively used in China during the disease outbreak and many European countries relied heavily on such devices for the treatment of Coronavirus patients.He also said that mobile and portable imaging kits should be supplied to the tier 2 and tier 3 cities to manage the condition of the Covid patients better.