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Special
Feature
Jul 04
MediCapture,
Inc.
Leading the Way to Easy, Affordable Digital
Imaging
by
Doug Taylor, Vice President, Marketing
MediCapture, Inc.
MediCapture, Inc. is on a mission: to make
capturing digital images so easy and affordable
that it becomes standard procedure in every
medical practice.
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To
achieve this goal, MediCapture has introduced
the MediCap™ USB100, a simple, low-cost
device that easily captures digital still
images from virtually any existing video
imaging source, including endoscopes, surgical
microscopes, and ultrasounds. The images
are captured to a USB flash drive that can
be plugged into any Windows computer, tablet
PC, or other portable device with a USB
connector. The digital images can then be
downloaded for archiving, viewing, emailing,
or other digital processing, bringing all
the power of digital imaging to existing
analog imaging devices.
“The USB100 is truly a revolutionary
device,” commented Michael Bishop,
President and CEO of MediCapture. “It
makes digital imaging affordable to almost
any hospital or private practice regardless
of their budget, staffing, or type of existing
equipment. Installation and operation are
a snap and require no formal training. You
simply connect the video jacks in-line with
your existing equipment and you’re
ready to go. When you see an image on your
monitor that you want to save, you press
a button (or use a foot switch) and the
image is instantly captured to solid state
memory. And when you’re not using the
USB100, you won’t even know it’s
there.”
To distribute the USB100, MediCapture has
partnered with two industry leaders in medical
imaging device distribution: Choice Medical
Systems, Inc. (www.choicemedical.com) in
the Eastern U.S., and Scientific Vision
Systems (www.svsimaging.com) in the West.
“The USB100 solves a serious problem
faced by many of our customers,” remarked
Jean Harper, Choice Medical’s Sales
Manager. “They have been looking for
ways to take advantage of digital imaging,
but have been reluctant to replace their
existing analog imaging equipment. MediCapture
understands this need and has designed the
USB100 especially to address it. This innovative
device protects customers’ capital
investment; it allows them to extend the
life of their existing equipment while enhancing
it with digital capabilities, and does this
at an exceptionally low cost. This makes
for a very compelling ROI.”
“By leveraging its patent-pending capture
technology, MediCapture has achieved a price
point thousands of dollars under other digital
imaging solutions,” said Dick Wheeler,
President of Scientific Vision Systems.
“At the same time, they’ve included
a comprehensive set of image capture features.
A Review Mode allows the doctor or clinician
to display the captured images during an
imaging session or in a post-op review.
Unwanted images can easily be deleted. The
same imaging session can also be saved to
multiple USB flash drives. MediCapture even
pre-loads a software wizard on its USB flash
drives to simplify the process of transferring
images from the flash drive to your computer
– anyone can do it quickly and easily.”
“MediCapture
has also paid careful attention to the hardware
components,” continued Mr. Wheeler.
“The USB100 is a Class 1 medical device
registered with the FDA. It’s enclosed
in a rugged metal case manufactured to meet
the harsh demands of the medical industry.
The front panel switches are protected by
a sealed, fluid-resistant membrane. The
back panel includes a standard mini-jack
that allows images to be captured via a
footswitch or using the controls built into
most endoscopic devices. The unit can operate
at 110 or 220 volts and has an extra grounding
post. Both NTSC and PAL video inputs are
supported. Captured digital images can be
saved in the JPEG, BMP, or DICOM format,
plus several other common image types. The
MediCapture design team did its homework
on this one. They really listened to what
users wanted.”
MediCapture’s vice-president of engineering,
Martin Bishop, added, “We really wanted
to ensure we were in synch with the OR staff
and that the USB100 would be easy to use
even in emergency situations. Early on,
we realized that the key to simplicity was
to use USB flash drives for storing and
transporting the captured images. These
drives are becoming a universally accepted
storage medium. They’re low-cost, reusable,
and exceptionally easy to use. Other imaging
solutions such as recordable CD-ROMs and
networked devices can introduce an unnecessary
level of complexity and risk of malfunction
into a hectic OR environment. On the other
hand, capturing images onto a flash drive
with a USB100 is as easy as pressing the
button on a digital camera – it’s
simple, intuitive, and reliable.”
“USB flash drives also have several
other advantages,” commented Ben Stluka,
MediCapture’s vice-president of sales.
“The flash drives are rugged and compact.
They can be carried on a key chain or worn
on a neck lanyard. This allows doctors and
patients to carry crucial medical records
with them. Obstetricians can also offer
pregnant patients a flash drive keepsake
containing prenatal sonogram images. We
see a bright future for USB technology in
digital medical imaging.”
MediCapture, Inc.
273 Hermosita Drive
St. Petersburg, FL 33706
(866) 284-3406
www.medicapture.com
Choice Medical Systems, Inc.
1426 Pasadena Ave S,
St. Petersburg, FL 33707
(727) 347-8833 or (800) 368-9337
www.choicemedical.com
Scientific Vision Systems
1936 Kellogg Ave.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 929-8133 ext. 20
www.svsimaging.com
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Q.
WHEN YOU SAY, "SELF- CONTAINED", WHAT
DO YOU MEAN?
A. It means that you do not have to take your
endoscope out of the OR, purchase or attach any
other pieces to make this system work. The video
system is part of the trainer which allows the
surgeon to work alone. With the Self Contained
unit, all you need is the instruments you plan
to use and practice material. You can work wherever
you have standard AC power.
Q. IF THIS UNIT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL, WHY HAVE
YOU CHANGED IT?
A. We like to receive feedback from the people
who use the trainer everyday. We receive many
good ideas and evaluate them on how it will enhance
the product for our market and the cost impact.
Some ideas are better suited for other versions
or a separate product. One issue we have addressed
is creating a camera and lens with more "depth
of field," that means the area above your
practice material is also in focus without making
any camera adjustments. After searching the marketplace
for a new camera and lens, we had a setup made
to our specifications to fit the new trainer.
Portability has also been an issue. While the
last generation was an improvement over earlier
options, it was still a load for our clients who
carry it around all day. We cut both weight and
size by using a LCD screen while providing a larger
viewing area. This was our intended direction
from the beginning, but LCD TVs have been cost
prohibitive until now. With the new model there
is no setup time because the monitor is part of
the unit. You just plug it in, open the lid and
turn it on. By trimming off inches on all sides,
this model is about half the weight of the earlier
models.
Everyone asks for more Instrument Portals. We
keep adding more and this model is no exception.
The new model has seven Instrument Portals! The
new portal has been added right in the middle
of the top. The standard portal grommet has a
10mm opening, but we also offer a 5mm grommet.
Besides giving you another instrument location,
we find it is the perfect spot for our new product,
the CAMERA STICK.
Q. OK, SO WHAT IS THE CAMERA STICK?
A. The basic trainer allows you to work alone,
however in surgery you would not be alone. In
our efforts to recreate the surgical environment,
we have created a simulated endoscope. The design
allows you to work alone if you choose, but is
a great tool to help develop the skills of working
with an assistant. You can manipulate the camera
stick to closely follow your instruments in the
practice area and provide a wide range of motions.
It can also be used in other situations where
you have a video source that will accept the NTSC
signal and a RCA jack. The Camera Stick requires
standard AC power.
Q. WHO ARE THE CLIENTS THAT USE YOUR TRAINER?
A. Several companies use them to train sales
teams in the use of their new equipment and instruments.
Sales teams in turn, use the trainers to demonstrate
to doctors and hospitals, while doctors learning
new techniques use the trainers, Doctors already
using laparoscopic techniques, will use it to
practice a specific task. Some of the doctors
who also teach will have the school of medicine
purchase trainers to use in the lab.
Q. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET A TRAINER?
A. We manufacture the trainer in our facility.
We try to time production cycles so that we always
have inventory on hand. In most cases the method
of shipping determines the delivery time.
Q. WHAT OTHER PRODUCTS WILL WE SEE FROM 3-D
TECHNICAL SERVICES IN THE FUTURE?
A. Well, we have several products that are
in testing or other stages of development. I believe
the next product to be ready for the public is
a trainer for laparoscopic spinal surgery. I have
had several discussions with Dr. John Chiu of
the California Spine Institute Medical Center
about features that would make a good trainer.
We generally test several prototypes in the field
before the final version reaches the public.
Q. WHAT IS YOUR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY WHEN CREATING
A NEW PRODUCT?
A. Creating a quality product for a reasonable
cost is always at the top of the list. Our staff
designs and manufactures the items in-house, therefore
it's easier to control quality and cost. It also
allows us to change or improve things immediately.
I believe that the talented professionals at 3-D
are proud of their creations and take pride in
the fact that the surgical training aids help
make someone's life a little better.
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