Medical flight services respond to a wide range of emergency calls. Perhaps the biggest category among them strokes. However, all medical flight services are usually limited in their ability to diagnose them accurately due to a lack of equipment. CT scanners are necessary for the most accurate diagnosis of strokes. However, owing to their bulkiness, they cannot be mounted on a medical flight. This is all set to change now as new innovations are making way every day. Now, a portable CT scanner that can be used onboard a medical flight is coming to the market. What does it mean for the efficacy of emergency services? Let’s answer this question.
Ring Scanner for Medical Flight Services
The mobile ring CT scanner was originally designed for ground ambulances. It is light and compact enough to fit into small spaces. However, it finds application in medical flight services too. It would be highly useful in diagnosing strokes. What does it mean for stroke patients? Medical flights usually host qualified medical doctors. If the patient is found to have a stroke, treatment can be started immediately without waiting to reach the nearest appropriate medical facility.
Quicker Treatment Saves Lives
It is well-documented through research that timely treatment within the ‘golden hour’ can increase the chances of the patient’s survival and faster recovery. The equipment has been developed by Monash University in conjunction with a company called Micro-X. The scanner is currently in a conceptual stage, but the developers are confident that it will make its way to the market very soon. They are compact enough to fit any fixed or rotary-wing medical flight. The equipment is currently under development in Australia. The developers are hopeful that there will be a market for the device not just in Australia but around the world.
