Portable X-Rays: Usage In Remote Locations

In many countries, people in remote or rural areas have no access to doctors or the type of modern medical equipment that most people take for granted. People in these remote areas often sustain severe disabilities and even death from the lack of electronic diagnostic equipment. Portable digital x ray machines can help to save lives and restore function to millions of people who live far from traditional medical institutions with their ability to take mobile xrays anywhere at anytime.

About Portable X Ray Equipment

Wilhem Conrad Roentgen discovered x rays in 1895. Technology to allow portable x-ray equipment has existed for many decades, but the machines were still so large that they had to be carried in vans that allowed limited ability to get to emergency areas, war zones and other remote regions. As digital technology progressed, it allowed the manufacture of digital x ray machines that were lighter, more portable and with more features that could be utilized in remote locations. Today, a mobile x ray system can be carried by hand and can wirelessly send images to large medical institutions for analysis. The mobile xray machine revolutionized the ability of physicians working in remote areas to diagnose skeletal injuries and disease conditions.

Where Portable Digital X Rays Are Used

Most people associate the use of mobile x rays with medical diagnosis of human problems, but these machines can be used for a variety of other applications. Portable x ray equipment is invaluable to veterinarians who must often do their diagnosis and treatment in the field. Mobile medical facilities for the military use portable x ray equipment extensively to determine the seriousness of injuries. X ray equipment can be used to do structural analysis of buildings to find weaknesses that could lead to collapse. It can also be used to detect termite damage deep within a building. This early detection of insect habitation can allow exterminators to prevent further structural damage to the building. Portable digital x-ray systems are also used in security field to examine the contents of containers to detect weapons and hazardous substances.

How Mobile X Rays Work

The x-ray generator is the heart of the equipment. It contains a cathode ray tube. As electric current passes through the tube, photons are discharged. A few of these are allowed to pass as a narrow beam that is directed at particular spot in the body or in a structure. Bone blocks the photons, creating an image on film or, in the case of portable digital x rays, on a digital medium. In addition, a picture archiving and communication system allows images to be stored and transmitted, via wired or wireless systems, to distant locations.

Types of Portable Digital Xray Machines

Mobile xray equipment is manufactured by a number of companies with a variety of features for different applications. Computed radiography systems such as Fuji, CR, Carestream and Medicatech are just a few brand names. Some models include technology that allows viewing of images, printing and sending images via email.

How Portable X Rays Save Lives

Law enforcement often uses portable x ray machines for on-the-spot examination of suspects. In emergency situations such as natural disasters, mobile digital x-rays can determine if broken bones have penetrated vital organs. Digital x ray equipment can also be used for preventative medicine, such as for doing bone scans that determine osteoporosis or other diseases that cause bone loss.