Better healthcare through GE innovation

MANILA, Philippines -  Treating symptoms without a clear and correct diagnosis could be likened to aiming a gun and shooting haphazardly. Without a definite idea of what specific illness besets a patient, there can be no clear target. It is a shot in the dark.  Consequently, the symptoms can persist or the wrong medications are given so that the ailment can worsen as complications set in.

Fortunately for us, diagnostic machines have now reached a high level of quality, accuracy, and sophistication. It is a simple matter for our physicians to recommend various tests to rule out or confirm certain medical conditions. – But that is in the urban areas. In remote and far-flung places where the technology is unavailable, the local medical practitioner may have to rely solely on the basic physical examination techniques such as palpation and observation. And thus, it can happen that a disease is unrecognized or misdiagnosed. A patient’s condition can deteriorate before he can be brought to where the diagnostic machines are set up. And it is because of scenarios such as this that devices like General Electric’s (GE) portable ultrasound machine are an exciting development.

The GE V-scan is a pocket-sized “visualization tool with ultrasound technology that can help redefine the physical exam.” Owing to the fact that it is roughly the size of a smartphone, or three inches wide and 5.3 inches long, it is a simple matter for clinicians as well as health workers to carry the device when they visit remote villages or primary care settings.                   

But how, exactly, does the device work? Like the full-sized ultrasound machines, the portable (weighs less than one pound) V-scan ultrasound  has a hand-held scanner that is moved back and forth over the body. This sends sound waves through the skin and muscles. The waves are then turned into an image on a screen to be analyzed or read by the doctor. Because ultrasound imaging is not dangerous, non-invasive, and has no side effects, it is commonly used in monitoring the growth of a fetus during pregnancy.  Other applications include detecting abnormal growths in various organs and monitoring blood vessels for atherosclerosis (thickening of blood vessel walls) to assess cardiovascular risk.  It is also used for osteoporosis testing, and to assess the effects of chronic kidney disease. Like its full-sized counterpart, V-scan is “a prescription device for ultrasound imaging, measurement, and analysis in the clinical applications of abdominal, cardiac (adult and pediatric), urological, fetal/OB, pediatric, and thoracic/pleural motion and fluid detection.”

In areas where the Internet connection is available, the images collected with V-scan can be immediately sent to a trained radiologist who will then be able to interpret the results so that the proper treatment can immediately commence. The device comes with a battery charger station and battery life of one hour scanning; voice annotation; USB docking station; link to a PC for organization and export of data; and gateway software with service tools and remote diagnostics.

 “GE has a global strategy of creating innovations that lower cost,” says Tommy Tan, director, Government Affairs &Policy, GE Healthcare Asia, at a recent event showcasing the V-scan in Manila. “We want to reach people and touch more lives. Quality healthcare is something we have always been passionate about.”   

Tan shares that in Indonesia the V-scan device has helped health workers to spot pregnancies earlier. With the help of the machine, five times more complications (multiple births, breech positions, etc.) were detected. But pregnant women were also two times more likely to attend and comply with prenatal care.

“GE has a US$6B commitment to make healthcare sustainable and innovation allows us to lower healthcare costs,” Tan points out. “We provide transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care.”