FDA clears software that analyzes lung function in COVID patients from single x-ray
Technology firm 4DMedical has scored clearance from U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its software program that can help radiologists assess lung function in coronavirus patients.
The Australia-based company said its XV Technology does so by creating a 4D image of patients’ lungs from a single x-ray image. Officials said the software-as-a-service diagnostic tool generates the final report in about three hours from the start of the process, using imaging from existing fluoroscopy equipment.
"It provides critical information about the functional and structural state of a patient's lungs in the treatment of illnesses such as COVID-19, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis and lung cancer,” founder and CEO Andreas Fouras, PhD, said in a statement issued Monday, May 25.
The system, however, is not intended to replace molecular tests as the primary means of diagnosing the disease. Fouras and colleagues said the XV Technology generates its “ventilation reports” through rapid analysis of x-ray imaging and the use of the company’s “proprietary algorithms,” according to the announcement.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.