3D camera helps wound assessment in Afghanistan
1 min read
A portable 3D imaging camera developed by an Oxford based medical technology company is being used in Afghanistan to assess the nature of wounds received by soldiers.
The Eykona camera – shortlisted for Electronic Product of the Year in the 2011 British Engineering Excellence Awards – creates a detailed 3D model of any wound or scar, from which accurate measurements of distance, area, colour, width or volume can be made.
This model can then be assessed from all angles using rendering software and shared with other doctors and clinicians. Small sterile 'targets' allow the focus and position of the camera to be set, eliminating inconsistency between images.
Using the models created using the camera, medics can assess fresh wounds and understand if and how the wound is healing, allowing them to adjust the treatment plan accordingly.
Lt Col Steve Jeffery, a consultant plastic surgeon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, said: "It is often difficult to judge the size of a wound and gain an understanding of if it is healing over time. The Eykona System allows multiple objective measurements of these wounds to be carried out to track the healing progress.
It was recently evaluated at the British Military Field Hospital in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. The Eykona System proved useful in Bastion to show medical team members who were not present in the operating theatre what casualties wounds looked like before we applied dressings."
