UK-based Feedback Medical has announced that its cloud TB screening service is now live at the Evangelical Hospital Khariar in Odisha with its innovative Bleepa Box.

The Bleepa Box is a small tablet device that can connect to any imaging machine such as an X-ray machine. The DICOM standard images are transferred from the imaging machine onto the Bleepa Box and then automatically pushed to Bleepa, which is a medical imaging communications app. From here, an artificial intelligence solution can help to assess and provide an AI-based diagnosis in real-time, so that the HCPs at the hospital can access specialist support and initiate timely treatment, in case of a positive diagnosis. The use of the Bleepa Box for TB screening and diagnosis requires a 3G or 4G wireless connection.

The service sees digital X-rays, securely transmitted via mobile networks, to the cloud where the images are analysed by Feedback Medical's partner Qure.ai, before being shared with clinicians. Using Bleepa's pioneering capabilities a screening result can be available within minutes of an X-ray being acquired, almost anywhere in India.

The impact of this technology means that TB screening can now be expanded to rural areas where digital imaging was difficult to deliver, enabling current TB screening services to reach more people.

The pilot, run in partnership with Qure.ai and Amazon Web Services, will now move into an evaluative stage where the system benefits will be measured as patients come through.