At a time when political (non-armed) wing of the British Medical Journal is considering whether to implement a boycott of Israeli academic institutions, scientists and engineers from that country continue to churn out great innovative medical devices. The VRIxp System from Deep Breeze Ltd., first reported here in September 2005, has now been approved by the FDA, according to Globes, an Israeli business daily.
To remind our readers, the company’s VRIxp System is a noninvasive device that utilizes body’s intrinsic acoustic vibration signals from the lungs to develop dynamic images of functional intrapulmonary anatomy:
The VRIxp is a radiation free medical device that is expected to allow physicians to easily obtain a series of dynamic images, designed to show the shape and condition of the lungs in real time. The VRIxp has potential to provide visual representations of not only structural changes in the lungs, but also functional changes.
VRIxp only receives and processes energy and does not emit waves or radiation to the body. The VRIxp visualizes vibration energy emitted throughout the respiration process. The energy is accumulated during the breathing cycle by a proprietary accumulation method. VRIxp algorithm slices this energy within a regular interval, inside a predefined frequency band. The output is a series of frames that when played in sequence visualize in real time the dynamic movement of air in the lung…
The vibrations are collected by a spatially distributed array of pressure sensors. The algorithm combines the output signals from a bank of band pass filters, sliced over regular time intervals, to produce a sequence of images which reflect the vibration properties at each pixel position and at each interval.
In the case of the VRIXP, the device’s sensors record vibration energy created by the air flow traveling down (during inspiration) and up (during expiration) the bronchial tree. The vibrations propagate through the lung tissue and structure; the characteristics of the vibrations are modified accordingly. The vibration energy is then transmitted to the hardware motherboard, which allows proprietary patented software to turn the vibration energy into a dynamic image.
VRIxp only receives and processes energy and does not emit waves or radiation to the body. The VRIxp visualizes vibration energy emitted throughout the respiration process. The energy is accumulated during the breathing cycle by a proprietary accumulation method. VRIxp algorithm slices this energy within a regular interval, inside a predefined frequency band. The output is a series of frames that when played in sequence visualize in real time the dynamic movement of air in the lung…More at Deep Breeze…
Globes: FDA approves DeepBreeze pulmonary imaging device …