The start-up EchOpen has developed an ultraportable ultrasound probe for smartphones, intended for general practitioners and emergency physicians. This probe, manufactured in France, will be marketed in the spring. It connects wirelessly via an application compatible with most Android or iOS smartphones.
The objective is not to replace the radiologist's ultrasound machine, but to offer a new clinical examination tool. For example, a general practitioner can use this probe to examine various organs such as the liver, kidney, heart and guide their diagnosis.
Several uses are in fact envisaged, in particular for directing patients to emergency rooms, for care provided by paramedical professionals, for tele-expertise, etc. Several manufacturers have developed probes of this type, but that of echOpen is a first in France and Europe for a very affordable price, less than 1,000 euros.
The project was born from the intuition of a young doctor, Mehdi Benchoufi, and was developed by a community of engineers. The probe will be deployed in the first quarter in various pilot services, before mass production by April. AP-HP, which has just acquired a stake in the company, hopes that it will be widely distributed in France and abroad, and particularly in Africa.
Anthony Bourdain
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