The FDA cleared Riverain‘s ClearRead +Confirm software that highlights tubes and lines on chest X-rays. As we described last November when the software was first unveiled, “ClearRead +Confirm processes the radiograph, creating a second soft tissue image with the ribs and clavicles suppressed and increasing the contrast, sharpness and visibility of tubes, lines and cardiac wires. To achieve this, the software uses the same proprietary machine learning and pattern recognition technologies as employed in Riverain’s chest X-ray bone-suppression and computer-aided detection (CAD) software.”
The software should work with just about any source of digital X-ray images, since it comes essentially as a black box system that processes anything fed to it and outputs a re-rendered image with little interaction from the radiologist.
From the press release:
A Georgetown University reader study assessed the time it took radiologists to locate:
- PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) lines, which are long, thin tubes that remain inside the chest for periods of time to deliver nutrients, fluid, blood, and medicines to treat pain, infection or cancer. PICC lines also are used to draw blood samples and provide kidney dialysis.
- Nasogastric tubes (NG tubes), which carry food and medicine to the stomach through the nose.
- Wires that conduct or measure electrical impulses, including electrodes for cardiac pacing and defibrillation.
- In the study, 334 chest X-rays were each reviewed by 10 radiologists with and without the enhanced ClearRead +Confirm image. The software reduced the reading time by approximately 19 percent, without compromising accuracy.
In a survey, participating study radiologists said that the enhanced image increased their
confidence in confirming the placement of lines and tubes and made it easier to see venous catheters.
Flashback: Riverain ClearRead +Confirm Highlights Lines and Tubes on Chest X-rays
Product page: ClearRead +Confirm…
Press release: FDA Clears Software That Helps Radiologists Rapidly and Accurately Confirm Placement of Lifesaving Medical Devices