SickKids buys imaging systems from NZ Technologies

VANCOUVER – NZ Technologies is pleased to announce the sale of two TIPSO Touchless Image Navigation systems to The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto. Using proprietary sensors that monitor the three-dimensional (3D) space around the surgery bed, TIPSO enables physicians to touchlessly and intuitively manipulate patient radiology images while performing the procedure.

Normally, a physician must leave the operating room (OR) to view images, using a mouse and keyboard, which interrupts their focus and requires them to re-sterilize before returning to the OR. It also prolongs the operation and thus patient recovery times.

Uninterrupted surgeon focus is key to successful surgery; to preserve it and avoid leaving the OR, they will sometimes take new radiological images during the operation that essentially duplicate preoperative images. However, this exposes the patient to additional radiation, which has attendant health risks. Finally, the need to re-scrub before re-entering the theatre also increases the cost of consumables, such as gloves, gowns, masks, and head coverings.

Nima Ziraknejad, founder and CEO of NZ Technologies, was quick to pivot and tackle this end-user driven challenge. Collaborating with the clinical team, NZTech developed TIPSO (Touchless Interaction with Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) in Sterile Operations), which allows practitioners to touchlessly interact with radiological images in the OR, by projecting the necessary image manipulation controls onto the surgical drape.

The practitioner hovers his/her finger over the projected icons to control the images in an intuitive and ergonomically friendly manner, while remaining at the surgical bedside.

Over the past two years, NZTech has expanded its market and built its commercial presence in Canada and the United States. With a firm foundation in the interventional radiology domain, NZTech has now validated its TIPSO technology for application in cardiothoracic, neuro-interventional, orthopaedic, gastrointestinal and craniofacial/plastic surgeries.

The company’s geographical footprint has grown from hospitals in the Lower Mainland to 14 major medical institutions across North America. Of note, NZTech has signed agreements with Stanford University and the University of Miami to conduct clinical research.

TIPSO has been previously validated in endovascular and surgical applications for improving procedural workflow, reducing surgery time, and preserving sterility. To access a video of TIPSO in use, see https://innovation.ubc.ca/innovation-stories/ubc-start-brings-touchless-image-navigation-surgical-theatre

Visit the company website at www.nztech.ca.

About NZ Technologies Inc.
NZ Technologies Inc. (NZTech) is a medical technology innovation and device production firm. Focused on enabling medical practitioners and surgeons with touchless interactions and controls in the operating rooms and clinical environments, we design and manufacture advanced electromechanical devices that operate by means of optical sensing and tracking, robotics, learning systems, and artificial intelligence. TIPSO is a specialized medical technology that has evolved from NZTech’s technical expertise with contributions from physicians, our co-inventors, who practice in the field of Interventional Radiology.