Raleigh, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/19/2013 -- In early 2012, two NC firms, The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) and Core Sound Imaging, conducted a medical mission project using the latest telemedicine technology to bring cardiovascular ultrasound to rural India.
The project sponsored the travel of cardiovascular sonographers to a remote field in India. Focused echocardiographic studies were performed by nine sonographers using pocket-sized or handheld devices. The scans were then uploaded onto the Studycast® web-based medical imaging viewing system for remote worldwide interpretation by 75 physicians.
Of the 1,021 interpretable scans, 207 (20.3%) had minor and 170 (16.7%) had major abnormalities. Left ventricular systolic dysfunction was the most frequent major abnormality (45.9%), followed by valvular (32.9%) and congenital (13.5%) defects.
The most impressive aspect of this project was the record-breaking size and turnaround time. A total of 1,023 studies were interpreted at a median time of just 11:44 hours.
“The technological achievement of this event cannot be overstated. In just 2 days, over 1,000 echoes were performed in remote, rural, NW India, those exams digitized and uploaded to the Internet [Studycast®] cloud for interpretation by dozens of volunteer readers all over the world, usually within 8 hours of acquisition” said ASE President, Dr. James Thomas, MD, FASE, FACC.
The cross-cultural educational project showcased the possibilities offered by breakthroughs in hand-held echocardiography technology and cloud-based transmission, while offering participants a unique opportunity to learn from one another and be part of a humanitarian effort.
About ASE
The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) is the leader and advocate, setting practice standards and guidelines. Comprised of over 15,000 physicians, sonographers, nurses and scientists, ASE is a strong voice providing guidance, expertise and education to its members with a commitment to improving the practice of ultrasound and imaging of the heart and cardiovascular system for better patient outcomes.
For more information please visit their website at http://www.asecho.org
About Studycast
Studycast® is the leader in mobile ultrasound imaging and diagnostic testing. Based out of Raleigh, NC, Studycast is used across the U.S. and the world. To learn more about Studycast web-based medical imaging solutions please visit their website at http://www.corestudycast.com or call (919) 277-0636.