HD Medical developing hand-held ultra sound equipment
By IANSWednesday, November 3, 2010
CHENNAI - City-based medical devices company HD Medical Services is working on a stethoscope that can look deep into the body, transmit the sounds while displaying the images on a palm sized screen.
“Work is on developing a hand-held ultrasound equipment that doctors can use. It will take sometime to come out with the product. The work has started at our research and development (R&D) centre here,” Chairman and Chief Inventor Arvind Thiagarajan told IANS.
While that is at the lab stage, the company’s immediate plan is to take its patented device FonoDoc - a stethoscope with a display unit enabling a doctor to hear the heart murmurs clearly. It can also show the sound rhythm on the screen.
“The sound waves from the heart are converted into a digital wave forms for display, analysis and print out. In India we are targeting general practitioners, heart specialists and government sector for this product. We plan to export to the US, Japan and other African markets,” said Thiagarajan.
He said three weeks back in a rural Thanjavur and Kumbakonam, out of 60 patients referred for cardiac screening, 10 patients were detected as positives for cardiac murmurs through this device.
“Later, the patients were taken to Chettinad Hospital at Chennai who confirmed the same through echocardiography,” he said.
In the domestic market, FonoDoc is priced at Rs.35,000.
Asked about the company’s similar product ViScope 100, Thiagarajan said the latest one is a much improved version.
The company is a subsidiary of HD Medical Group in which investors from South Korea and other places hold stake.
“With noise levels going up in the city, making a diagnosis based on sound needs experience. Doctors with this device can hear the heart murmurs clearly and take necessary action,” he said.
According to him the cost of display unit battery is around Rs.700 and can be recharged once in eight hours.
Meanwhile, HD Medical plans to raise $10 million to fund its expansion plans.
About the data compression technology company MatrixView promoted by him and listed in Australian Stock Exchange, Thiagarajan said: “We have delisted the stock and planning to list in Nasdaq in the US. The company’s turnover is Aus$ 2.2 million.”
