Bringing CT Scanners to the Skies: Design of a CT Scanner for an Air Mobile Stroke Unit

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Dades bibliogràfiques
Publicat a:	Applied Sciences vol. 12, no. 3 (2022), p. 1560
Autor principal:	Jun Sheng Kwok
Altres autors:	Fox, Kate, Bil, Cees, Langenberg, Francesca, Balabanski, Anna H, Angela Dos Santos, Bivard, Andrew, Gardiner, Fergus, Bladin, Christopher, Parsons, Mark, Zhao, Henry, Coote, Skye, Levi, Christopher, De Aizpurua, Henry, Campbell, Bruce, Davis, Stephen M, Donnan, Geoffrey A, Easton, Damien, Toh Yen Pang
Publicat:	MDPI AG
Matèries:	Food & Drug Administration > FDA Australia Collaboration Aerospace medicine Scanners Aviation Aircraft Patients Stroke Helicopters FDA approval Design Emergency services
Accés en línia:	Citation/Abstract Full Text + Graphics Full Text - PDF
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Descripció
Resum:	Featured ApplicationThe aim of this article is to describe the design and development of a light-weight computed tomography (CT) scanner for use in an air-mobile stroke unit (Air-MSU) in Australia. Weight reduction without compromised performance for CT scanners is currently a key issue for Air-MSU. In recent years, the increasing model-based systems engineering (MBSE) across many industries have enabled them to support the requirements of design, analysis, verification, production, and maintenance on a single digital platform, and thus, to accelerate the time to market of their product. In this review, we present an innovative systems approach that integrates a range of stakeholders, such as companies, manufacturers, universities, and governments, through MBSE to support the development and dissemination of new, fully compliant medical devices as quickly as possible.AbstractStroke is the second most common cause of death and remains a persistent health challenge globally. Due to its highly time-sensitive nature, earlier stroke treatments should be enforced for improved patient outcome. The mobile stroke unit (MSU) was conceptualized and implemented to deliver the diagnosis and treatment to a stroke patient in the ultra-early time window (<1 h) in the pre-hospital setting and has shown to be clinically effective. However, due to geographical challenges, most rural communities are still unable to receive timely stroke intervention, as access to specialized stroke facilities for optimal stroke treatment poses a challenge. Therefore, the aircraft counterpart (Air-MSU) of the conventional road MSU offers a plausible solution to this shortcoming by expanding the catchment area for regional locations in Australia. The implementation of Air-MSU is currently hindered by several technical limitations, where current commercially available CT scanners are still oversized and too heavy to be integrated into a conventional helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS). In collaboration with the Australian Stroke Alliance and Melbourne Brain Centre, this article aims to explore the possibilities and methodologies in reducing the weight and, effectively, the size of an existing CT scanner, such that it can be retrofitted into the proposed search and rescue helicopter—Agusta Westland AW189. The result will be Australia’s first-ever customized CT scanner structure designed to fit in a search-and-rescue helicopter used for Air-MSU.
ISSN:	2076-3417
DOI:	10.3390/app12031560
Font:	Publicly Available Content Database