Release date. 26|11|12
British soldiers in Afghanistan helped by new 3D imaging camera
Eykona Medical Ltd. brings the power of 3D imaging to assist with care for wounded heroes
Eykona, a medical technology firm based in Oxford has developed a portable 3D imaging camera that is being
used in the field by British troops in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan to assess the nature of war wounds received by
soldiers. The device is also being used closer to home at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where
military casualties are treated.
The Eykona camera is designed to build a three dimensional image of a wound and utilises specially-designed
software to measure the size and depth of the trauma with extreme accuracy. Through the 3D models created
using the Eykona camera, medics will now be able to use definitive evidence to assess fresh wounds and also
to understand if and how the wound is healing, allowing them to adjust the treatment plan accordingly and with
far more efficiency than ever before.
Lieutenant Colonel Steve Jeffery, a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
and who recently returned from a three month tour in Afghanistan, said:
“I have been using the Eykona system to gain more accurate measurements of wound healing at the Queen
Elizabeth Hospital. It is often difficult to judge the size of a wound and gain an understanding of if it is healing
over time. The Eykona System allows multiple objective measurements of these wounds to be carried out to
track the healing progress. It was recently evaluated at the British Military Field Hospital in Camp Bastion,
Afghanistan. The Eykona System proved useful in Bastion to show medical team members who were not
present in the operating theatre what casualties wounds looked like before we applied dressings.”
Lt Col. Jeffery is also the Chief Medical Officer of a new charity Woundcare 4 Heroes which promotes specialist
wound care to help rebuild the lives of those injured in conflict.
Eykona’s digital optical system is an invention of Professor Ron Daniel and Dr James Paterson. It replaces the
archaic, limited and often imprecise methods currently used in wound care. These methods include naked eye
assessments, tracing paper and pencil, dipstick depth measurement and invasive resin casts.
Dr James Paterson commented:
“Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are designed to inflict complex wounds on victims. It is therefore of the
utmost importance for medical personnel to be able to understand the exact nature of these wounds so as to
properly determine the sort of therapy required to treat them.
Furthermore, apart from wounds received directly from IEDs, recovering military personnel may also develop
ulcerations from paralysis or prosthetic limb use, all of which require long term wound care and Eykona’s
technology can assist with the evaluation of these wounds.”
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3D technology
The Eykona camera took eight years of research and development to perfect and creates a detailed 3D model
of any wound or scar, from which accurate measurements of distance, area, colour, width or volume can be
made. This model can then be assessed from all angles using the Eykona rendering software and even shared
with other doctors and clinicians through server- or cloud-based hosting. By using small sterile ‘targets’ to set
the focus and position of the camera, the Eykona unit eliminates inconsistency between images and can be
used by any health care professional without the need for extensive or costly training.
Ends
About Eykona:
Following eight years of careful development by British scientists, Eykona Medical Ltd. brings the power of 3D
imaging to everyday medical care. Launched to address the growing need for wound measurement as the
number of diabetics in the UK continues to escalate, Eykona is a British technology startup committed to
bringing new possibilities to hospitals.
The cost of an Eykona unit is under five thousand pounds, including the software and carry case and there is
very little on-going maintenance cost.
Contact:
Ali Maynard/ Alex Myers
Manifest London
eykona@manifestlondon.co.uk
0203 137 9270
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