The U.S. Federal Drug Association recently approved Deep Breeze, a non-invasive radiation-free lung imaging system that uses Vibration Response Imaging (VRI) to build up a real-time picture of the lung. The imaging equipment, which some are calling the biggest breakthrough since ultrasound, was developed by the Deep Breeze firm, located in Or Akiva, halfway between Haifa and Tel-Aviv.
Dr. Igal Kushnir, the founder of Deep Breeze, explains that the patient diagnosis takes less than a minute. “With two to three breaths, you almost instantly get the results. The time that it takes to put on your shirt is the time that it takes for the results to appear on the screen,” Dr. Kushnir explains, adding that the VRI system can be effectively used to diagnose asthma, pneumonia, and other pulmonary diseases. In addition, the VRI provides both an image and quantitative data for doctors to diagnose their patients.
Dr. R. Phillip Dellinger, professor of medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey and director of critical care at Cooper University Hospital in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, stated the importance of effective diagnosis. “It became obvious that what we thought was going on inside the lung was not going on,” Dr. Dellinger said.
Dr. Kushnir also mentions that VRI can be used as an effective follow-up for patients undergoing treatment. In addition, the device could measure lung functionality in real-time, which is essential for a patient on a ventilator.
“It impressed me that this was a whole leap forward, a whole new approach that most of the physicians dealing with patients and examining their lungs would be able to use in their office without any need to refer patients to other places,” said Prof. Gerald Baum, medical director at the Israel Lung Association.
Manufactured in its Or Akiva plant, Deep Breeze has recently partnered with the $17 billion healthcare giant, GE Healthcare to promote and distribute the device in the US. Deep Breeze’s next step is developing heart monitoring equipment. Dr. Kushnir considers its heart monitoring equipment, which is expected to be released in late 2009, as being invaluable for the medical community.
Founded in 2001, Deep Breeze has distributed a variety of VRI products in the USA, Europe, China, Korea, and Israel. In addition to the headquarters and research and development center in Or Akiva, the company has offices in the U.S., Germany, and the Asia-Pacific region.