Entries by admin

Lunch days at KA: Inside the First In-person Internal Event After a Long Time

After working behind the screen for over 1.5 years, KA Imaging’s team finally had the chance to meet their coworkers in person. It was also a lovely gathering for new employees who had recently joined the team.  

The Events and Parties Internal Committee (EPIC team) organized different lunch days for small groups. As an extra safety measure, every attendee took a COVID test on the day of the event. 

Amol Karnick, President and CEO of KA Imaging, as well as Karim S. Karim, CTO, attended all lunch days. “I know that the past year has been quite challenging, and we could not have accomplished so many good things if it was not for the team’s hard work,” said Amol. “I hope that we keep up the great work for many more years to come! We’re all in this together,” he continued.  

Employees’ feedback was positive. “It was nice to meet colleagues in person after pretty long time behind the screens. I personally met some of our newly joined colleagues for the first time, and spending a lunch time together was really joyful,” said Basel Alhabbal, service engineer. 

“The lunch day experience was great! It was nice to see team members in person, and enjoy some fellowship together,” said Jesse Schmidt, CMOS Design & Test Engineer. 

It was the second in-person event since March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the team to move their activities home. Although the company has already been allowed to go back to the office – especially having a vaccination rate close to 100% – the management team has decided to continue to act cautiously, and the return is being made at a slow pace. 

We are proud and inspired by how KA Imaging’s employees responded to this challenge with flexibility, resilience, determination – and a loving heart. Thank you so much for what you’ve done. 

/by
,

KA Imaging Makes Distribution Deal with PT. Intimedika Puspa Indah in Indonesia

Indonesian market will be able to access KA Imaging’s Reveal 35C dual-energy solution 

Waterloo, Ont. (Oct 19, 2021) – KA Imaging has entered into a distribution agreement with PT. Intimedika Puspa Indah for distribution of its innovative dual–energy imaging solution Reveal™ 35C in the Indonesian market.  

“We’re happy to have initiated this partnership, as dual-energy subtraction can be very helpful in advance studies for tuberculosis and also in finding some other hidden pulmonary diseases, which is crucial to save lives” said Amol Karnick, President and CEO of KA Imaging. According to WHO, Indonesia ranks third for the incidence of TB globally. “Reveal’s high DQE and mobility can also offer significant improvement of mobile imaging, which is especially important in rural TB screening and the COVID-19 scenario,” he continued.  

PT. Intimedika Puspa Indah was founded in 2000 and primarily serves Indonesian customers by providing medical equipment, rapid diagnostics and surgical instruments. “KA Imaging’s Reveal 35C is a new technology that does not currently exist in Indonesia,” said Johannes Hendradjaja, director of PT. Intimedika Puspa Indah. “Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, we feel that it’s a good opportunity to introduce Reveal 35C’s dual energy capability into the Indonesian market,” he continued.    

Reveal 35C is the world’s first and only portable dual-energy X-ray detector. The detector provides radiologists and medical professionals with three unobstructed images in a single exposure with zero motion artifacts for better patient care. Including Indonesia, Reveal is now cleared for clinical use in seven countries and has shown great promise in recent North American studies for the early detection of lung cancer and pneumonia (including COVID-19). 

About KA Imaging 
A spin-off from the University of Waterloo, KA Imaging specializes in developing innovative X-ray imaging technologies and systems, providing solutions to the medical, veterinary, and non-destructive test industrial markets. For more information, please visit www.kaimaging.com.   

/by

Reveal vs Competitors

Dual energy has been around for more than 30 years, but due to weaknesses in older technologies, it has never taken off. Reveal 35C overcomes the limitations of traditional approaches by providing three separate images without motion artifacts from a single shot.

/by

Technology overview, clinical applications and software demo presented in webinar to imaging technologists

The Webinar was held by Dr. Karim S. Karim and Jay Potipcoe in partnership with VCA Education 

Dozens of imaging technologists and other Radiology professionals participated in KA Imaging’s webinar on Dual-Energy Radiography in partnership with VCA Education on September 25. In the webinar, KA Imaging’s CTO Karim S. Karim and Applications Specialist Jay Potipcoe introduced Dual-Energy Subtraction (DES) technology and some of its clinical applications. They also presented a software demonstration. 

After the session, the feedback was very positive. [The session was] “very informative about dual energy radiation but in simple terms. Everyone who has a basic knowledge of x-ray or healthcare can understand,” said one of the attendees. “Both guests spoke very well, and the content presented was very interesting,” commented another.   

Valentina Al Hamouche, MRT(R), MSc., CEO/Founder of VCA Education Solutions for Health Professionals, said: “I am glad that we are collaborating to deliver quality accessible continuing education for Medical Radiation Technologists in Canada and abroad.”  

KA Imaging and VCA Education will promote a second webinar in November, which is also approved by the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT) for up to 1.75 hours of Category A credit in continuing education, recognized by the CAMRT’s provincial organizations and the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (AART). More information about the registration process will be available soon. 

Contact us to see the Sep 25 presentation











KA Imaging is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, and we’ll only use your personal information to administer your account and to provide the products and services you requested from us. From time to time, we would like to contact you about our products and services, as well as other content that may be of interest to you. If you consent to us contacting you for this purpose, please tick below to say how you would like us to contact you:

You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information on how to unsubscribe, our privacy practices, and how we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy.

By clicking submit below, you consent to allow KA Imaging to store and process the personal information submitted above to provide you the content requested.

/by

Webinar: Saving Costs and Optimizing ICU Use with Dual-energy Subtraction

Dr. Karim S. Karim, CTO of KA Imaging, and Jay Potipcoe, Applications Specialist, presented a free 60-minute live webinar on Wednesday, October 27 about Saving Costs and Optimizing ICU use with dual energy subtraction. Through the presentation, attendees learned about dual-energy subtraction X-ray imaging, had access to real cases, and delved into the specific use case of pneumonia. With data obtain from a mid-size Canadian community hospital and dual energy clinical data, the modality was presented as a solution that can save costs as well as free up ICU bed capacity – a topic that continues to be relevant as the COVID-19 pandemic pressures healthcare systems globally. More than 90 people registered from all over around the world. According to the attendees, the session on dual energy subtraction X-ray imaging was quite positive and informative.

Webinar: Saving Costs and Optimizing ICU use with dual-energy subtraction 

Date: October 27 

Time: 12:00 pm EST 

 

Fill the form to watch the webinar

 











KA Imaging is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, and we’ll only use your personal information to administer your account and to provide the products and services you requested from us. From time to time, we would like to contact you about our products and services, as well as other content that may be of interest to you. If you consent to us contacting you for this purpose, please tick below to say how you would like us to contact you:

You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information on how to unsubscribe, our privacy practices, and how we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy.

By clicking submit below, you consent to allow KA Imaging to store and process the personal information submitted above to provide you the content requested.

/by

World Lung Day 2021: Keep Your Lungs Healthy

World Lung Day (WLD) on September 25 is a day of awareness and action for lung health, a chance for all of us to come together and promote improved lung health around the world. Hundreds of millions of people around the world are affected by lung diseases. 

Learn more about the respiratory diseases. 

REFERENCES 

1.Lung cancer fact sheet. American Lung Association. Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/lung-cancer/resource-library/lung-cancer-fact-sheet. 

2.World Health Organization. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd). World Health Organization. Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-(copd). 

3.Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2020, April 15). Copd. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/copd/symptoms-causes/syc-20353679. 

4.Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2021, March 23). Lung cancer. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lung-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20374620. 

 
 
 

/by

KA Imaging Named a Second-Place Winner of The Pitch 2021 By Constellation Research

NEW Competition to Find the Next Enterprise Startup Unicorn 

September 20, 2021— KA Imaging announced it was named as the second-place winner of The Pitch, a new competition for enterprise startups hosted by Constellation Research. The industry wide two-day event brought together startup founders, enterprise technology decision makers, venture capitalists, and system integrators to identify the next big player in innovation. KA Imaging was chosen as a leading startup in the Healthtech category. 

At the event, KA presented its Reveal™ 35C, a single exposure, portable, digital dual-energy subtraction (DES) X-ray detector that overcomes previous DES technical limitations. This detector raised the possibility of a DES retrofit in existing digital X-ray rooms. The portability of a single exposure DES detector also allows for point-of-care high quality diagnostic imaging to increase access in underserved regions.  With the same radiation dose as a chest X-ray, it is possible to create 3 different images without motion artifacts (your regular DR, soft tissue and bone) to give you the ability to see the lungs and soft tissue without having bones obstructing the view, as well as identify calcified tissue. 

“We are very proud to see that the industry views the Reveal 35C as a valuable solution for global healthcare systems. Participating in this competition with so many talented companies and taking second place shows us that we are on the right path”, says Amol Karnick, President and CEO of KA Imaging. 

To kick off the competition, over 100 enterprise startups from around the world were evaluated. Preliminary qualified applicants submitted 7-minute pitch videos of their latest ideas. The Constellation Academy judges determined finalists in six different categories, and invited these companies to a closed room event to be grilled for 90 minutes. The Pitch winners were chosen for having the most innovative solutions, the highest growth in stakeholder wealth, and the best transformative business models. 

“The winners of The Pitch are arguably some of the best enterprise tech startups in their early stages of growth,” said R “Ray” Wang, chairman and founder of Constellation Research. “The Constellation Academy judges found it hard to choose from so many impressive finalists, but this year’s winner stood out from the rest based on their creative ideas and compelling pitch of growth and success. The Pitch was a hit with both the participants and judges, and we’re already looking forward to next year.” 

The Pitch was held as a virtual event this year, but Constellation plans to hold the event in a hybrid format in years to come. For more information, visit https://www.constellationr.com/events/thepitch2021.   

About KA Imaging  A spin-off from the University of Waterloo, KA Imaging specializes in developing innovative X-ray imaging technologies and systems, providing solutions to the medical, veterinary, and non-destructive test industrial markets.  

About Constellation Research 

Constellation Research is a technology research and advisory firm based in Silicon Valley. We deliver strategic guidance to companies seeking to transform their businesses through the early adoption of disruptive technology. Our analysts draw on their experiences as practitioners to deliver pragmatic advice to CXOs leading digital transformation within their organizations. Clients include board of directors, C-suite executives, line-of-business leaders, and IT visionaries who are not afraid to challenge the status quo. Our mission is to conduct research on emerging technologies, identify and validate trends, and empower our clients to succeed in the digital economy. Constellation Research also hosts DisrupTV, a show hosted by our founder R “Ray” Wang, which features disruptive leaders and reaches 40k+ viewers each week.  

Global Press Contacts: 

Contact:  

Fernanda Fraga   

Media Relations  

ffraga@kaimaging.com   

T: 226.215.9897 

 

Elle Froze & Hannah Hock 

Constellation Research 

Email: Press@Constellationr.com 

/by

Detecting Coronary Calcifications – How Reveal™ 35C Can Help

One emerging application for dual-energy X-ray subtraction is the opportunistic detection of coronary calcifications. Coronary artery calcifications (CAC), or the presence of calcium buildups in arteries that supply blood to the heart, is common in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD)3.  

A 2021 update by the American Heart Association maintains that CHD is the leading cause of death attributable to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the US. CVD accounted for approximately 18.6 million deaths in 2019 and is therefore the leading cause of death worldwide1.  

An early diagnosis of CAC can help determine a patient’s risk of CHD or serious cardiac events, and although more understanding may still be needed, diagnosis and treatments can benefit patients’ health and improve their overall care. 

A recent study, published in 2020, assessed the ability of physicians to detect coronary calcifications using standard X-ray supplemented with dual energy X-ray images for three key reasons: the accessibility, accuracy, and cost4. Their findings show that dual-energy X-ray supplemental images can help detect coronary calcifications and, in many cases, that CAC were made more visible when compared to other processing and screening methods. Diagnosis was confirmed with computed tomography (CT) images.  

Two historical reasons why dual energy subtraction X-ray techniques were not adopted for mainstream diagnostics are motion artifacts that cause blurred images, and the higher radiation dose to the patient due to two exposures which is especially problematic when lateral X-ray views to visualize the retrocardiac space are desired. KA Imaging’s solution to these problems is Reveal™ 35C – a single exposure, dual-energy X-ray detector that provides three images, a standard X-ray supplemented with bone and soft tissue dual energy X-ray images, all acquired simultaneously with zero motion artifacts. Reveal 35C also uses the same X-ray technique, same dose and the same X-ray source as a standard chest X-ray, which alleviates concerns about excess radiation.  

Here’s how KA Imaging’s Reveal 35C can help detect coronary calcifications: 

  1. Accessibility 

As described in the 2020 study, X-ray is already an ordered procedure when trying to detect coronary calcifications and is accessible to many people in different care settings, so it would be beneficial to continue this diagnostic practice4. Using high quality dual-energy X-ray would help a much larger group of people gain the benefits of early detection of CHD, so they could receive prompt treatment.  

Reveal 35C can be used anywhere a standard X-ray is used because it provides a standard X-ray and two supplemental dual energy X-ray images using a single exposure. It is portable, retrofittable and can add true dual energy capability to any X-ray system, as it is fully compatible with existing fixed, mobile and portable X-ray systems.  

  1. Accuracy 

The fact that coronary calcifications could be detected in dual-energy chest X-rays was shown in this 2020 study, and the ability to detect a large number of patients with CAD accurately compared very favourably to other screening methods4. Although CT scans were used to verify the visualization of coronary calcifications, X-ray uses far less radiation, and as mentioned previously, is much more accessible.  

Moreover, lateral X-ray views were recently reported at the RSNA 2020 symposium to help the visualization of CAD because of better visualization of the retrocardiac area2. However, motion artifact and higher radiation dose of older generation dual energy subtraction systems remains an impediment to adoption.  In contrast, Reveal 35C enables lateral views with zero motion artifact using the same technique, dose and X-ray source as a standard chest X-ray. 

  1. Cost 

As previously mentioned, X-ray is already an ordered exam for many patients, so any additional cost to the health care system would be minimal when using X-ray imaging to detect coronary calcifications. The 2020 study calls this significant, because recent reports show increases in cardiovascular disease, potentially due to obesity and diabetes being on the rise in America. It is, in fact, dubbed “America’s costliest disease” and costs are predicted to double to $1.1 T by 20234. 

Reveal 35C is available at a fraction of the cost of other DES systems, and can be retrofitted to existing digital and analog, fixed and mobile X-ray equipment. The most significant savings would be the ten times lower purchasing and operating costs compared to computed tomography systems (CT), which are typically used for diagnostic purposes, as well as the economic benefits of early CHD detection. 

REFERENCES 

  1. 1. American Heart Association. (2021). 2021 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update Fact Sheet at-a-Glance. https://www.heart.org/-/media/phd-files-2/science-news/2/2021-heart-and-stroke-stat-update/2021_heart_disease_and_stroke_statistics_update_fact_sheet_at_a_glance.pdf 

  1. 2. Boswell, G., et al. (2020) Dual Energy Lateral CXR: Opportunistic Detection of Coronary Calcium. RSNA. 

  1. 3. Liu, W., Zhang, Y., et al. (2015). Current Understanding of Coronary Artery Calcifications Journal of Geriatric Cardiology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712374/ 

  1. 4. Song, Y., Wu, H. et al. (2020.) Detection of Coronary Calcifications with Dual Energy Chest X-rays: Clinical Evaluation. The international Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging.  

/by

KA Imaging Selected to Pitch in The Innovator’s Pitch Challenge at Digital RESI

KA Imaging has been selected to pitch in the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge at Digital RESI September 13-15th. The Redefining Early-Stage Investments (RESI) conference series connects start-ups and early-stage investors and strategic channel partners. In the Challenge, KA Imaging’s CEO Amol Karnick will pitch directly to a panel of relevant investors and participate in a live Q&A session. The session is open to all registered RESI attendees.



Learn More About The Conference

/by
,

KA Imaging to Present Live Webinar to Imaging Technologists in One Month

VCA Education Solutions for Health Professionals – Dual Energy Radiography

Dr. Karim S. Karim, CTO of KA Imaging, and Jay Potipcoe, Applications Specialist, will be presenting a live webinar on September 25, 2021, specifically tailored to imaging technologists about single exposure dual-energy subtraction X-ray.

They will first explain the physics – defining dual-energy subtraction (DES) X-ray, reviewing the limitations of old DES techniques, and clarifying how a single-exposure detector can overcome previous issues.

The presentation will next include the specifics of dual-energy image interpretation and the clinical benefits of detecting several conditions, including small nodules, pneumonia, pneumothorax, and coronary calcifications. The clinical applications of dual-energy X-ray will also be examined and explained.

Reveal™ 35C is KA Imaging’s single exposure dual-energy subtraction X-ray detector which addressed previous technological shortfalls. With just one exposure, the triple-layer detector simultaneously delivers DR, bone, and tissue images with no motion artifacts. It is FDA 510(k) cleared and Health Canada approved, with promising initial results shown from clinical trails.

This Live Webinar content has been approved by the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT) for up to 1.75 hours of Category A credit in continuing Education, recognized by the CAMRT’s provincial organizations and the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (AART). A certificate of attendance will be issued to participants.



Buy Your Tickets Here

/by