Written by Mike Hoaglin
At Chegutu District Hospital in central Zimbabwe, we met Crispin, a wincing 24-year old male who was unable to speak to us or the doctor.  The doctor thought something was probably obstructing his airway, but oddly enough he could still breathe.  Crispin was referred to Radiology for an X-ray.  The X-ray machine in use in the clinic was the WHIS-RAD, a high quality and low-cost X-ray machine, but still film-based.

As you can see from his X-ray to the left, a bottle cap appears to be lodged in the patient’s throat.  His friend explains that Crispin tried to open a Coke bottle with his teeth.
The radiographer gives the film to Crispin to take to a specialist for interpretation and further extraction procedures.  However, the patient must travel several miles on a bumpy, unpaved road.  This risks further lodging the bottle cap in his throat and leading to choking.

The Solution
A digital X-ray image can be sent electronically to another location for immediate interpretation.  Based on this consultation, a recommendation can be made by telephone and the patient can be treated on the spot without having to risk any further travel.  Electronic transmission eliminates any compounding damage to patients for additional travel, allows for rapid diagnosis and treatment, protects the integrity of the image by eliminating transport, allows for easy archival and significantly reduces recurring costs for chemicals, processing and storage.