ULTRASOUND AND FCRPRIMA USER’S VOICE13

Digital RadiographyUltrasound

www.fujifilm.eu

FujifilmTA K EA W AY

1Ultrasound

FUJIFILM on the track with Formula 1

The Associazione Medici in Pista (AMiP) is a no-profit association whose mission is to improve preparation, organization and medical assistance on the racetrack. Set up on 4 July 1997 by staff already working at the Monza racing circuit during races, the association regulates not only these track activities but also many other sports events held during the year. The members of the association include physicians, professional nurses and rescuers a large part of whom have experience in critical areas (intensive care, 118 emergency medical service, first aid, operating theatre). At the medical centre during the Grand Prix, there is a group of physicians (intensive care operators, anaesthetists and orthopaedists) and nurses who work mainly in critical areas, and therefore in emergency services. About 30/40 physicians plus 30 nurses are involved in the Grand Prix. Along the circuit, there are four fast cars, four mobile intensive care units, and the Italian Red Cross rescuers who help to manage emergencies, for a total of almost 100 operators. The health care unit is open 24 hours a day so, even if the track is managed according to its activities, the service also covers the night-time because the mechanics remain permanently at the racing circuit, so the health care unit handles everything to do with the Grand Prix. “The Monza racing circuit centre, responsible for coordinating the entire health service at the circuit, is a fully-fledged first-aid department,” declares Dott. Pusineri, Chairman of the AMiP, which has handled all the emergency services on the Monza track for more than 25 years. “The facility consists of six first-aid operating rooms with a total surface area of 330 m2. Two basic first-aid rooms are used for the public, two are used for orthopaedic injuries, and the other two are used for intensive care of the racing car drivers and are fully equipped to administer care to critical patients with multiple injuries caused by

accidents. Furthermore, outside the facility there is an ambulance fitted out with Fujifilm equipment.“According to the new, modern injured patient guidelines, ultrasound is extremely important, modifies the approach to the patient, and enables his/her general conditions to be diagnosed with precision. Ultrasound now plays a fundamental role in the treatment of a patient with multiple injuries. All physicians involved in local emergency services are familiar with the basic notions of ultrasound. The presence of equipment of this type is clearly indispensable and Fujifilm fully satisfies our needs. A Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) on the track reveals whether a patient’s stomach or chest is bleeding, and provides many other signs useful to prepare the relevant instruments at the medical centre and subsequently at the destination hospital. “Fujifilm is a company present at numerous radiology centres. The reliability of its devices and services that regulate their maintenance and reliability is well known and this is why, in situations that are sometimes extreme and unexpected, we chose Fujifilm for support.

ULTRASOUND AND FCR PRIMA USER’S VOICE 13

www.fujifilm.eu

2

“SonoSite, which is particularly suitable in emergencies, has proven to be the best choice: having diagnostic imaging equipment directly on site or in an ambulance is a major advantage, even in situations that are difficult to handle. The convenience of the ultrasound device together with the mobile X-ray truck offers full support to the team on the site. Due to its small size, the iViz is even simpler to use and can be taken anywhere, even directly in the field. Its 7” high-resolution display and proprietary imaging technology ensure an excellent image quality and a rapid diagnosis.In some cases, reducing the time necessary to make an accurate diagnosis is a fundamental need. Designed to ensure portability and for use in complex environments, it confirms

FUJIFILM’s constant commitment to guaranteeing reliable and long-lasting solutions through the use of advanced technology. FUJIFILM SonoSite has been aware of the specific needs of emergency physicians for years and offers products designed to provide complete diagnostic functions. Rapid, high-quality imaging can save lives, increases patients’ safety and improves the physicians’ efficiency. The real-time assessment of an injury makes a significant contribution to the physician’s ability to treat the patient with multiple injuries. For this reason, FUJIFILM SonoSite works in close collaboration with sports medicine specialists to develop imaging solutions capable of satisfying the clinical needs of a sector in rapid expansion.

ULTRASOUND AND FCR PRIMA USER’S VOICE 13

Ultrasound www.fujifilm.eu

3 www.fujifilm.euDigital Radiography

FUJIFILM runs with the “Giro d’Italia”

Dott. Fabio Volontè Medical Director of Lipomo

owner of Mobile Radiology Center

The Giro d’Italia is a multiple-stage road bicycle race held in Italy every year. Organized for the first time in 1909 by the sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, the Giro is one of the three most important multiple-stage bicycle races on the calendar, and the Union Cycliste Internationale has included it in the UCI World Tour professional circuit with the other two major international races, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. Historically, it is considered the second most prestigious multiple-stage race after the Tour de France. In 2014, a project aimed at building a mobile X-ray truck to support the cyclists was undertaken upon with RCS. It took 6 month to develop the project, which involved a large number of organizations and partners, including Fujifilm, for the supply of the digital radiology system FCR PRIMA T2.

1. How did the need for a mobile X-ray truck arise? The need for a mobile X-ray truck derived from a need to provide on-site assistance to the cyclists. In the past, injured cyclists had to be taken to hospital for an X-ray or US scan to investigate suspected injuries. This resulted in long delays, which had an impact both on the athletes’ recovery times and on the national health service. In other types of sports events, assistance for participants is easier as they are held in sports grounds or on circuits while, in cycling, the athletes cover thousands of kilometres across several regions. A mobile vehicle had become absolutely essential: for these reasons, CRI (Italian Red Cross) in Lipomo, design a mobile X-ray truck to support the teams.

2. How has support for cyclists during the Giro d’Italia changed over the decades? How has cycling and its support developed in time?

We began to provide health care on the Giro d’Italia 36 years ago, when the team consisted of eight people, two physicians and the ambulance men, equipped with a car and two ambulances. Initially, no anaesthetists were present but the service was improved over the years with an intensive care unit and one anaesthetist, of whom there are now two. Over the past 15 years, the health care service has developed with the support of RCS, which has never imposed any limits and has always encouraged the improvement of the services.

In this development, the mobile X-ray truck had the most significant impact as previously, when an X-ray was required to reassure the cyclists and their teams, the athletes had to be taken to hospital with all the associated problems, increasing the workload on the public health service and imposing delays of several hours, which, for a sportsman, are essential to recover properly from one stage and prepare for the following one. Today, non-complex fractures are managed on the spot. If a cyclist falls during a stage of the race, a diagnosis can be made immediately and, after the X-ray examination, he is immobilized, and can withdraw from the race and go straight home without having to go to hospital, which is often a long and tiring experience.

ULTRASOUND AND FCR PRIMA USER’S VOICE 13

4

Consequently, both for members of the staff and for the cyclists themselves, the history of the health care service is characterized above all by the mobile X-ray truck with its numerous advantages and the increase in staff, the initial number of eight having been increased to twenty-eight. Today, the cyclists are supported by five ambulances, one at the rear of the group and four in the middle of it, two doctors’ vehicles with two anaesthetists, and one vehicle that carries the cases, the radiology system and the mobile care unit.

3. How has the health care been improved by the mobile X-ray truck? What impact does it have on the sportsman’s day and health?At the end of a stage, cyclists need time to recover. The mobile X-ray truck has enabled us to reduce the X-ray times from 3-5 hours to a quarter of an hour. This is a major advantage for the cyclists who can undergo the examination and have the report in just 15 minutes, without spending hours in hospital, and can dedicate those hours to recovering from the race (massages, physiotherapy, adequate rest).The strength of this vehicle is its ability to send the images to Legnano Hospital, which provides the radiology technician and the reporting radiologist. The ambulance serves as complementary sports medical assistance. It covers emergencies and accidents although, in some cases, the cyclist may be taken to hospital in any case, if there is a need for hospital facilities and care

4. Who are the partners that contributed to the construction of the vehicle and how long did it take? The operating project involved several partners, among these of particular importance Fujfilm which has provided us with an image reading system of excellent quality. The project took about 6 months as it was conceived in a very simple way and aimed at cycling. Everything was ready in the 2013 Tirreno-Adriatico.

What were the reasons for choosing Fujifilm as the partner in fitting out the vehicle?An important role was played by Andrea Zola, Business Development Manager, Medical Systems Division Fujifilm Italia, who believed in the project right from the start, supporting the Red Cross in Lipomo in all its requests. And it was thanks to his support that we installed the compact FCR PRIMA T2 reader unit with extremely high processing capabilities. This enables us to reduce the times and send the images rapidly to Lipomo Hospital for reporting. Furthermore, with its light and compact table-top design, it was extremely easy to install into the small spaces available on the vehicle. The FCR PRIMA reader can be placed on a desktop, shelf or in any other confined space. In addition, as it is not a fully digital reader, there is no need for a darkroom or automatic processor.

5. Apart from the Giro d’Italia, what other events require the presence of a mobile X-ray truck?Its potential is exploited also on other occasions. In the past, it has been used in two world rally championships in Sardinia, when CRI Lipomo was the executive health care partner. Another important occasion was EXPO 2015 held in Milano, where the mobile X-ray truck played a fundamental role in the emergency management plan and, since last year, it has been included in the emergency plan of the Italian F1 Grand Prix in Monza. Finally, upon recommendation by RCS, we established a relationship of collaboration with Niguarda Hospital whereby when the vehicle is not used for sports medical assistance, it is made available for social purposes. In this way, we optimize the use of the vehicle instead of leaving it unused.

Digital Radiography

ULTRASOUND AND FCR PRIMA USER’S VOICE 13

www.fujifilm.eu