UHN adopts advanced X-ray for clearer views

TORONTO – Each year, more than 20 million diagnostic X-ray procedures are performed in Canada, according to Health Canada. While regular X-rays are used every day in hospitals, they sometimes miss important details – depending on the case and imaging conditions. That’s because bones and other body parts can overlap in the images.

In collaboration with OBIO, University Health Network (UHN), Canada’s leading hospital and the No. 1 publicly funded hospital in the world, is adding a new advanced mobile X-ray machine to its radiology department. The technology, called Reveal Mobi Pro, is developed and manufactured by Waterloo-based company, KA Imaging.

With its increased flexibility, Reveal Mobi Pro is designed to improve the clarity and speed of imaging for patients visiting the downtown Toronto hospital – right at the bedside.

This innovative solution was adopted with the support of OBIO’s Life Sciences Critical Technologies & Commercialization (LSCTC) Centre of Excellence after a successful evaluation was completed through the Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN).

OBIO evaluates new technologies through EAHN and implements successful solutions using critical technologies through the LSCTC Centre of Excellence. EAHN is supported by the Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), and LSCTC is supported by the Government of Ontario.

“Pneumonia, pulmonary edema, pneumothorax and more can often be missed with a conventional bedside portable X-ray scan in the intensive care unit,” said Dr. Karim S. Karim, CTO at KA Imaging. “Additionally, the new technology helps to ensure tubes and wires are placed correctly, increasing patient safety and wellbeing.”

The solution for these problems is what KA calls SpectralDR technology, available in the Reveal 35C detector, which works alongside the Mobi Pro mobile X-ray machine in the improved Reveal.

From a single X-ray, Reveal 35C creates three views: a standard image, one that makes bones stand out, and an image that highlights soft tissues. This helps clinicians see what is happening inside the body more clearly, without moving the patient, changing their position, taking multiple X-rays or doing more than what they would already do for any single routine X-ray.

“The sickest patients are in our ICUs, and they need the best imaging,” said Amol Karnick, president and CEO of KA Imaging. “Transportation from the ICU is expensive and can have a high incidence of adverse effects. And with CT scanners – another form of X-ray imaging – facing significant backlogs, it’s even more important to bring better imaging to the bedside.”

Preliminary studies at different institutions using the Reveal 35C detector have suggested up to 43% more visibility of lung lesions, 33% more detection of pneumonia cases, and up to a 37% reduction in the requirement of CT scans for intensive care patients – freeing up imaging equipment and staff resources in a healthcare system that is constantly under pressure.

This installation marks the next step in a long-standing collaboration. In 2020, KA Imaging partnered with UHN through OBIO’s EAHN program to evaluate the Reveal 35C detector in mobile imaging units. Originally focused on lung cancer screening, the project was quickly adapted to assess COVID-19 pneumonia in immunocompromised patients. Results from the evaluation provided clinical insights that helped improve the product and confirmed its ability to enhance visualization at the bedside.

“We are excited to introduce a new option in patient-centered imaging at UHN this fall. UHN continues to be a leader in patient care by trialing new technologies, which benefits not only Canadian companies who develop them, but also supports improved access to care for our patients,” said Dr. Patrik Rogalla (pictured), division head, cardiovascular and thoracic imaging division, University Health Network. “For some of our sickest patients, especially those in critical care, this helps avoid unnecessary transfers while still receiving high-quality imaging care.”

The Reveal Mobi Pro is expected to be fully functional at UHN in the fall of 2025. “We’re proud to see technology that was developed right here in Canada benefit our fellow Canadians,” said Karnick.

“This project is an outstanding example of a made-in-Ontario solution being adopted by one of the world’s top hospitals,” said Dr. Maura Campbell, president and CEO of OBIO. “Through our EAHN and LSCTC Centre of Excellence, we are proud to have supported KA Imaging in bringing this advanced technology to the bedside, where it will have an immediate and tangible benefit to patient care. This partnership highlights how our collaboration model successfully bridges the gap between innovative Canadian companies and the healthcare system to drive the adoption of new technologies that support both economic growth and better health outcomes.”

“Collaboration between OBIO®, KA Imaging, and the University Health Network is leading to breakthrough technology in patient care,” said the Honourable Evan Solomon, minister of artificial intelligence and digital innovation and minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

“The Reveal Mobi Pro is a fantastic example of the power of Canadian innovation and collaboration to improve patient care right at the bedside. By supporting the adoption of homegrown technologies, our government is helping small- and medium-sized businesses scale, compete globally, and deliver solutions that strengthen our health system and create good jobs here in Ontario.”

About KA Imaging
A spin-off from the University of Waterloo, KA Imaging specializes in innovative X-ray imaging technologies and systems. Powered by patented SpectralDR technology, the company’s healthcare product line includes retrofit solutions and mobile systems with single exposure dual-energy subtraction, enhancing visualization of line and tube ends, retained surgical objects, pneumothorax, bedside pneumonia, cardiac calcium, and more. KA Imaging aims to improve image quality and achieve bone/tissue differentiation in mobile systems while maintaining the ease and simplicity of X-ray. For more information, visit: www.kaimaging.com.

About OBIO
OBIO, a not-for-profit, membership-based organization dedicated to advancing health technology innovation and commercialization, evaluates new technologies through its Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN), supported by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), and implements successful solutions using critical technologies through its Life Sciences Critical Technologies and Commercialization (LSCTC) Centre of Excellence, supported by the Government of Ontario. OBIO is engaged in strategy, programming, policy development and advocacy to further the commercialization of human health technologies, positioning Canada as a leader in the international marketplace. For more information, please visit OBIO.ca.

About FedDev Ontario
For over 15 years, the Government of Canada, through FedDev Ontario, has worked to advance and diversify the southern Ontario economy through funding opportunities and business services that support innovation, growth and job creation in Canada’s most populous region. The Agency has delivered impressive results, which can be seen in southern Ontario businesses that are creating innovative technologies, improving productivity, growing revenues, creating jobs, and in the economic advancement of communities across the region.