Intelligent needle tracking using ultrasound imaging for improved minimally invasive interventions

Project Information

INTUI-VIEW

Grant agreement ID: 691262

DOI

10.3030/691262

Project closed

EC signature date 17 November 2015

Start date 1 November 2015

End date 31 October 2018

Funded under

• Horizon 2020 Framework Programme

Total cost

€ 3 079 660,00

EU contribution

€ 2 361 697,00

Coordinated by

PHILIPS MEDICAL SYSTEMS NEDERLAND BV
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - INTUI-VIEW (Intelligent needle tracking using ultrasound imaging for improved minimally invasive interventions)

Reporting period: 2018-01-01 to 2018-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Developments in medical care are driven by the need to increase the quality of patient care while reducing cost.
In the field of anaesthesiology, the use of regional anaesthesia, including peripheral nerve block procedures, has led to improved patient outcome and reduced costs when compared to general anaesthesia.
Currently, only a limited number of anaesthesiologists perform peripheral nerve block procedures on a regular basis due to its complexity. Physicians are hampered by the fact that the needle tip location cannot be precisely determined in relation to the patient’s anatomy during a peripheral nerve block procedure. As a result, nowadays anaesthesiologists are largely navigating “in the blind”, using indirect measures and their anatomical knowledge to decide how to navigate and where they should make an injection. Adequate technology would facilitate this procedure and enable a wider adoption of regional anaesthesia.
Philips, B.Braun and Oslo University Hospital are partnering in the EU funded INTUI-VIEW project to develop, validate, and market an intelligent needle tracking technology using ultrasound imaging. The INTUI-VIEW ultrasound needle tracking system and the 100 mm smart needle were both launched at the European Society of Regional Anesthesia in Dublin on September 12. The solution has been trademarked Onvision.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The INTUI-VIEW point-of-care ultrasound system has passed all verification and validation testing successfully. The INTUI-VIEW ultrasound needle tracking system was further developed to a pre-clinically working prototype. The transfer of needle design, manufacturing process and tooling from R&D to the manufacturing site was conducted after functional needle met the Product Specification and the User Requirement Specification (URS) for the Assembling line have been finished. After design freeze in March 2018 the design verification and qualification/validation of the manufacturing line have been conducted. First pre-clinical testing was conducted. A preclinical phantom study and two studies in healthy volunteers showed that the Onvision™ NTT technology improves PNB performance during ultrasound guided out-of-plane procedures. CE submission of the INTUI-VIEW platform was done in time and granted. Dedicated Training Modules have been developed to prepare the B. Braun Marketing & Sales Organization for the market introduction of Xperius and Onvision. Onvision has been launched 12th September 2018 during the annual ESRA Meeting in Dublin.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The solution developed in the INTUI-VIEW project can help to speed up transition from general anaesthesia to regional anaesthesia.
This results in:
• Patients receiving better, first time right regional anaesthesia procedures; avoiding the risks and potential complications associated with needle misplacements.
• Clinicians getting access to a tool that will allow them to do a better, safer, and faster job with a more predictable outcome.
• Hospitals and health care systems being able to increase their effectiveness and efficiency by avoiding the waste of expensive and scarce resources and reducing patient hospital stay.

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