CT and X-Ray cabins to help fight the spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines

Challenging times call for innovative solutions. So, when the doctors, nurses and radiology technicians vital in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients are at increased risk of contracting the disease themselves, maintaining a safe distance between staff and patients wherever possible becomes a necessity. Limiting the chance of cross-infection is especially important during triage, when infected and uninfected patients share the same diagnostic pathway. When you add in the need to upscale and deploy diagnostic facilities in an agile way to cope with increasing patient numbers and localized COVID-19 outbreaks, it makes sense to find new ways to deploy and install diagnostic solutions.

With both CT and diagnostic X-Ray imaging currently playing an important role in assessing the pulmonary damage caused by COVID-19, and in some parts of the world also being used to triage suspected COVID-19 cases, the Philips team in the Philippines has come up with a novel solution to both meeting demand and keeping patients and staff as safe as possible. They are converting industrial shipping containers into CT and X-Ray imaging cabins that can be located wherever they are needed – within hospitals, in hospital grounds, or out in the community.

The cabins are equipped with CT solutions such as Philips’ Access CT and Incisive CT, or diagnostic X-Ray solutions such as Philips’ DuraDiagnost and DuraDiagnost F30, configured to allow radiologists to perform diagnostic imaging procedures with minimal or no patient contact. Each cabin has an integral lead shield to reduce stray radiation, UV (ultraviolet) lamps to sterilize the workspace between use, and a laboratory-grade computer cubicle for the immediate analysis of results. The systems can also be linked into hospital IT networks so that radiologists can remotely view scans.

With laboratory-based COVID-19 tests typically taking up to 48 hours to complete, healthcare authorities in the Philippines are about to start using Philips’ new CT and X-Ray cabins to triage patients so they can be immediately isolated if their scan suggests they have COVID-19. In addition to supporting the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the concept could also offer benefits in other situations – for example, in emergency rescue and disaster relief zones. For Philips’ CT and X-Ray cabins, putting everything inside the box is definitely an example of ‘outside-the-box’ thinking.

Philips has a comprehensive portfolio of services and solutions which can help to support the delivery of high-quality care to COVID-19 patients. It includes secure, connected and intelligent approaches to diagnosis, treatment and predictive monitoring in the hospital, plus screening, remote patient monitoring and care at home. With healthcare under more pressure than ever before, Philips’ telehealth and AI-enabled data analytics can help support workflows, facilitate remote collaboration and optimize resources. Philips’ COVID-19-related solutions are designed for rapid deployment and scalability. For more information on how Philips is addressing COVID-19 globally, please visit the Philips COVID-19 hub.

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