Vexev, a Sydney-based medical device startup has developed the first tomographic ultrasound robot (TUR) in the world to make diagnostics more accessible, insightful, and affordable. The first TUR trial will be conducted soon.
Cardiovascular diseases are mainly diagnosed with 2D ultrasound operated by a sonographer. 2D ultrasound is regarded as one of the less costly imaging diagnostic modalities and does not have any harmful radiation to patients, however, it has some limitations which are inconsistent, affordability, and has the ability to only produce 2D scans. Skilled sonographers are not in high demand which makes their career shortened by RSI due to the years of operating 2D ultrasound machines.
Vexev’s technology is designed to automate the ultrasound procedure entirely. It also ensures the quality and efficiency consistency of 2D ultrasound with the aim of making diagnostics significantly more powerful by producing 3D tomographic ultrasound outputs (analogous to MRIs/CTs).
In that regard, in clinical settings where 2D ultrasound previously was not economical, like regional and dialysis clinics, can now make use of an imaging diagnostics capability. With the Vexev’s device, sonographers can now produce 3D diagnostic outputs just like MRI radiographers and CT scans, accomplish more scans daily and stop suffering from high RSI incidence.
Matt Adams, senior vascular sonographer, said: “Vexev’s device has the potential to evolve the role of Vascular Sonographers, minimizing low skill, high volume aspects of typical workflow. It may also assist in combating the well-documented shortage of skilled Vascular Sonographers in the workforce, and the high incidence of repetitive strain disorder. With extra time on their hands, this highly skilled group of healthcare professionals may have the chance to expand their scope of practice – whether that be in education, research or therapeutic intervention.”
Vexev was co-founded by Dr. Eamonn Colley and Dr. John Carroll in 2018 after they completed their PhDs. During their research they both observed that the current approach of monitoring vascular accesses- the conduit in which patients with kidney failure receive lifesaving hemodialysis treatment –was through manual feel, listen and look approach which was not effective and consistent. This influenced the co-founders to realize that for a lot of clinical settings, the imaging capabilities of current diagnostics were too expensive and not accessible. They became captivated by the ability to develop a device that is more affordable like the 2D ultrasound but produces 3D scans like the CT or MRI.
Tolo said: “For value-based healthcare models to reach their full potential, we will need diagnostic technologies that are as powerful as MRIs, but more affordable than 2D ultrasound. Vexev’s device achieves this, and it is exciting to see them reshaping what’s possible in this industry.”
