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.