MEVAs stands for Mobile Emergency Video communication Assistance system. It was developed by our partner ADiTech, is an UMTS solution and was specifically designed to enable real time rescue video monitoring.
Where's the first business case for our partner ADiTech?
“The first system was installed in the emergency vehicles of a voluntary rescue organization named “Soccorso Amico” based in Salerno end of December 2007.”
How does the system work?
“In the ambulance we have installed a Zydacron CS140 video codec for telemedicine with an external PTZ camera. The telemedicine video codec can interface a number of electro medical devices, in this case we have installed a SpO2 (Oximeter), a blood pressure monitor and digital stethoscope.
The video signals are transmitted via UMTS to a control centre installed at the A&E of the emergency structure. The control centre is a Zydacron video call centre connected to the UMTS gateway with patient data base management facilities, electro medical device management and remote camera control. The UMTS link implements a VPN channel between the mobile unit and the emergency central.
The caregiver will use the tool to support the rescue crew on the emergency mobile units.”
How did the project come about?
“We were asked to find a solution to support rescue crews and we came to the decision to install video communication in an emergency unit such as an ambulance. As the most critical issue was the communication link to grant both image and data transmission in real time, we had to look for a partner building high performing UMTS routers, able to keep trace of a link and guaranty privacy. The choice went to a VPN network router built by CALAERO, an Italian company leader in professional mobile network equipment manufacturing.
The test was performed, on the Salerno city highway ring, using Telecom Italia UMTS services, and the results were very good. Our doubts were addressing real time data communication and data loss, that could be influenced by transmission delays not matching the medical equipment time out, but the percentage of lost data packets was so low that it did not influence the correctness of the received medical data.”
What has your company done?
“ADiTech has designed and implemented the solution. It is the first time that a rescue mobile unit is equipped with video communication facilities to support emergency rescue crews in their job. The advantage for the A&E doctors is to see the patients conditions in real time and decide what the ambulance crew should do and which hospital to take the injured person.
MEVAs provides a video communication link between an ambulance and the emergency medical centre in order to assist and support emergency crews in their daily activities.
The crew on board a rescue mobile mean communicates in real time using interactive audio–video with the Call Centre operators or with the emergency doctors. Adding visual contact to the usual audio channel, normally used in rescue and emergency mobiles, is a very important improvement, providing crews with professional support such as it could be achieved only with on board physical presence.
The Call Centre operators can act on the remote controlled cameras on board the ambulance to zoom or move to other views, listen and speak to the crew through the environmental microphone. In emergency decision making time is important to save human lives, MEVAs allows to have a complete and immediate picture of what happens to take quick decisions that sometimes are determinant to save human lives.
MEVAs integrates to the videocommunication the data transmission from the mobile rescue means and can transmit in continuous way vital parameters in real time implementing functions such as cardiac auscultation and pulmonary functionality, measurement of the oxygen saturation of the blood and the cardiac frequency. The doctor of the 118 Central using the video connection can value the health conditions of the patient (complexion, mood, presence of wounds, etc.) and lead the rescuers during the intervention when in presence of not specialized volunteers.
The on board terminal of the MEVAs system is CareStation 140 that can use an external PTZ camera (with optical zoom 40x operated by remote control locally or from remote) and consents an audio/video connection qualitatively superior to the common video communication systems. It is equipped with a powerful processor and with an echo cancelling system for an high quality audio.
CareStation 140 supports a large range of communication protocols that guarantee qualitative standards and easiness of installation also on Non-QoS networks.
The Connection
MEVAs guarantees quality and security of transmissions through an encrypted VPN channel between the ambulance and the medical centre with UMTS technology. An exclusive UMTS router is installed on board the ambulance vehicle and enables data transmissions at 64 kbps upload and 384 kbps download.
Call Centre
The Video Call Centre fits into the existing structure and supplies assistance services as well as support functions.
The system CareStation.Net consists of a control panel for pc with video communication windows, management control of communication, management of electro medical equipment, vital parameters view, storage and recording of the measurement results in a data base and measurement history.”
