Lifesaving medical surveillance for firefighters and first responders
Lifesaving medical surveillance for firefighters and first responders
April 1, 2022
Thousands of brave women and men risk everything to protect lives, property and wildlife. Unfortunately, the health effects of repeated, intense fire exposure are largely unknown but evidence in the 9/11 aftermath, increasingly shows that the consequences of exposure to particulate matter are quite severe.
Firefighters and first-responders who risk their lives deserve state-of-the-art medical surveillance. Clinical centers and organizations across the state should establish a program to screen firefighters – free of charge – for lung diseases.
Early detection is the key to better treatment outcomes and sustained health and wellbeing. The goal is a large-scale research initiative implementing state-of-the-art medical technology to screen firefighters and first responders.
Data collected can also provide valuable insights and a better understanding of the effects of wildfire exposure and smoke inhalation. This will enable early disease detection and the development of more effective treatment options.
Functional Respiratory Imaging
Functional Respiratory Imaging technology combines aerospace engineering (computational fluid dynamics) and biomedical imaging techniques to provide healthcare providers with regional insights into the lungs of patients with a wide array of disorders.
Using artificial intelligence to combine High-resolution CT Scan images with advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools helps pulmonologists visualize both structural and functional parameters of the lungs. They provide pulmonologists with detailed color-coded images, allowing them to provide patient-specific parameters such as airway resistance and aerosol deposition characteristics.
This technology is incredibly sensitive and provides early-stage disease detection and prediction of disease progression, enabling earlier and more patient-specific treatments that result in better clinical outcomes.
FRI is set to become a new standard tool in pulmonology thanks in part to its versatile applications in both clinical practice and drug development.
Current Pulmonology Limitations
Dr. Michael Weiden, a professor at NYU in pulmonary medicine and environmental medicine, has focused most of his research on the effects of smoke exposure on the lungs of firefighters involved in 9/11. Professor Weiden explains the current medical practice standards in pulmonology, i.e. spirometry, and the limitations for patient-specific diagnosis and treatment.
The possibilities of medical imaging
Jan De Backer, CEO and founder of FLUIDDA, talks about FRI technology developed by his company, how it is useful in the medical space and potential for early-stage, patient-specific diagnosis and treatments, especially firefighters.
Learn more about efforts to provide proactive, life-saving care to firefighters in California.
Lifesaving medical surveillance for firefighters and first responders
Lifesaving medical surveillance for firefighters and first responders
Thousands of brave women and men risk everything to protect lives, property and wildlife. Unfortunately, the health effects of repeated, intense fire exposure are largely unknown but evidence in the 9/11 aftermath, increasingly shows that the consequences of exposure to particulate matter are quite severe.
Firefighters and first-responders who risk their lives deserve state-of-the-art medical surveillance. Clinical centers and organizations across the state should establish a program to screen firefighters – free of charge – for lung diseases.
Early detection is the key to better treatment outcomes and sustained health and wellbeing. The goal is a large-scale research initiative implementing state-of-the-art medical technology to screen firefighters and first responders.
Data collected can also provide valuable insights and a better understanding of the effects of wildfire exposure and smoke inhalation. This will enable early disease detection and the development of more effective treatment options.
Functional Respiratory Imaging
Functional Respiratory Imaging technology combines aerospace engineering (computational fluid dynamics) and biomedical imaging techniques to provide healthcare providers with regional insights into the lungs of patients with a wide array of disorders.
Using artificial intelligence to combine High-resolution CT Scan images with advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools helps pulmonologists visualize both structural and functional parameters of the lungs. They provide pulmonologists with detailed color-coded images, allowing them to provide patient-specific parameters such as airway resistance and aerosol deposition characteristics.
This technology is incredibly sensitive and provides early-stage disease detection and prediction of disease progression, enabling earlier and more patient-specific treatments that result in better clinical outcomes.
FRI is set to become a new standard tool in pulmonology thanks in part to its versatile applications in both clinical practice and drug development.
Current Pulmonology Limitations
Dr. Michael Weiden, a professor at NYU in pulmonary medicine and environmental medicine, has focused most of his research on the effects of smoke exposure on the lungs of firefighters involved in 9/11. Professor Weiden explains the current medical practice standards in pulmonology, i.e. spirometry, and the limitations for patient-specific diagnosis and treatment.
The possibilities of medical imaging
Jan De Backer, CEO and founder of FLUIDDA, talks about FRI technology developed by his company, how it is useful in the medical space and potential for early-stage, patient-specific diagnosis and treatments, especially firefighters.
Learn more about efforts to provide proactive, life-saving care to firefighters in California.