Smart MIMAS, a tablet and server system developed by KDDI Labs, gives clinicians the ability to view high quality medical images on their android devices and tablets. Images can be sent securely to specialists whether at a hospital, at home or on the road. This is invaluable in the case of an emergency, since quick and accurate instructions can be relayed to staff back at the hospital. However, this system goes far beyond just viewing.
“This system has three main features. One is that images can be viewed quickly. The second feature is that images can be sent at high speed. And the third feature is that it’s very secure. Regarding the first feature, high-speed viewing, this system uses unique memory management technology to enable large images to be viewed quickly. As for the second feature, high-speed transmission, a CTU image contains a very large amount of information, with over 4,000 gradation levels in a single picture. Usually, physicians in the hospital adjust those levels to see the ones they want. But if the pictures are used on a mobile device, then with the Internet until now, the number of levels was limited due to JPEG compression. So physicians couldn’t adjust the pictures they received. Our system uses JPEG2000, so the compression preserves as many levels as possible. That makes it possible to adjust the gradation on a tablet or smartphone. Regarding the third feature, security, we’ve used KDDI’s own encryption technology to achieve a very advanced level of security.”
As can be seen, this system will dramatically impact the way physicians access medical images, and will give more flexibility in what settings the images are viewed. The image quality is also very high, decreasing errors related to misinterpreting an illegible image. Multiple test images can be compared easily and quickly, allowing for an accurate diagnosis.
“There may be only a few specialists in a hospital, or they may not come to the hospital very often. In that case, if there’s an emergency, a specialist can look at pictures while outside the hospital, and tell staff on the spot what to do. The specialist can also tell staff, “I’m coming back in. Get everything ready for surgery.” I think that’s a big advantage of this system. In provincial areas, lack of physicians can be a problem, so I think there will be a great many cases like that from now on. And in such cases, a specialist at another local hospital can provide support. We think Smart MIMAS could be utilized for that kind of
support.”
The cost to hospital administrators for Smart MIMAS will run around $65,000 for both the server and tablets. KDDI aims to supply 20 sets to hospitals by the end of the year.
Source: diginfo.tv
