Computerized tomography (CT) is the gold standard for assessing the COVID-19 disease progression in the lungs. Each CT of a COVID-19 patient results in 2 hours of sanitation time leaving the CT unavailable for other patients. This is a real challenge when a trauma patient comes to the emergency room needing an emergency CT. Lung ultrasound especially with a portable system on a smart phone can be easily cleaned between patients and can be done at the bedside. Lung imaging with ultrasound is not widely practiced and is still considered new. COVID-19 patients present sonographic artifacts that can be a challenge to identify by new users.

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Jay Kahlon at Blue Phantom recognized there was a need for a training model to help build skill in point-of-care lung ultrasound. He came to us March 17th with his new product idea. We brainstormed what the model needed to do and how we would build it. The next day we had a thumbs up to move forward with design and tooling. We carried out 75 experiments to discover how to simulate the artifacts of COVID-19 patients - namely B-lines or “rocket tails” and consolidation lesions or pneumonia. We had the first molds for a model ready by March 26th and got the first visual prototype to the customer on the 27th.

We delivered the first functional unit April 1st and by that evening Jay had done virtual demos with doctors in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. The response was “when can we get this and start training?”.  One of the prominent doctors in the US said, “this is amazing how closely it images like a real patient”.

During this global pandemic we have seen innovative new products arise quickly in the face of adversity. From intubation hoods to ventilators, people are creating and pumping out products for public safety at an astonishing rate.

One such product is the Blue Phantom COVID-19 Ultrasound Lung Simulator.

 

 

Pacific Research Laboratories  is the parent company to Sawbones. It is an end-to-end contract manufacturer offering a wide range of services and capabilities to small businesses, inventors, and entrepreneurs. Whether you’re still in the design process or you already have a design you’re ready to take to market, we’ll bring your product to life. To take the first step, visit our contact page or call (206) 408-7603.