2020 Volume 35 Issue 1 Pages 37-42
Our medical institution is a designated center for the treatment of patients with infectious diseases such as Ebola virus disease (EVD), which was a major epidemic in West Africa beginning in 2014. We set up an advanced isolation room containing a flat-panel detector (FPD) system that was used for the X-ray imaging of a patient suspected to have EVD. The FPD system appeared to be very useful from the viewpoint of performing early image examinations, obtaining a diagnosis, and preventing the spread of the virus. However, it is very difficult and complicated for staff wearing full personal protective equipment to operate the personal computer (PC) of an FPD system from within the advanced isolation room. Therefore, we constructed a remote-control system in which all PC operations of the FPD system could be performed in a separate room, without the need for staff to wear full personal protective equipment. We consider that a remotely controlled FPD system would be advantageous for operating medical equipment in an advanced isolation room, particularly from the viewpoint of infection control.
