Sheba Medical Center is partnering with a subsidiary of Elbit Systems to utilize advanced thermal imaging technologies previously used for military and security purposes.
Sheba will implement Elbit’s thermal photography, which is best known for its role in the world of defense and aerospace and offers significant potential for healthcare. Physicians use thermal cameras to detect physiological processes based on changes in energy and heat in the body and display these changes on a digital screen – enabling doctors and surgeons to accurately identify the movement of blood vessels and present a clear picture of carbon dioxide being exhaled.
"The new relationship between medical excellence and excellence in the defense industry is groundbreaking.”
Prof. Eyal Zimlichman
"Thermal technology, which until now has helped pilots take off and land, and soldiers on the battlefield identify threats and targets, has the potential to help medical teams worldwide to see the invisible and make more accurate diagnoses,” according to Tsachi Israel, CEO of Elbit’s thermal imaging subsidiary Opgal. “We are the leading experts in our respective fields, working together to innovate in order to save lives and prevent suffering for many patients."
Using these new technological developments, Sheba medical teams will be able to receive previously unavailable information in real-time and increase the accuracy of their medical diagnoses. The photographed materials will also be analyzed at the medical center using artificial intelligence tools and will enter a computerized database for future use by doctors in decision making.
"The new relationship between medical excellence and excellence in the defense industry is groundbreaking,” said Prof. Eyal Zimlichman, Sheba's chief innovation and transformation officer. “The solutions worked on by Elbit and Opgal experts and Sheba doctors are not only significant for Sheba and Israel but will have an international impact. These are global solutions to global problems, and we believe there is great potential here to change the face of medicine on an international level."
Sheba Medical Center is leading the digital transformation to advanced digital medicine in Israel and around the world. Through its ARC innovation arm (Accelerate, Redesign, Collaborate), it is building and maintaining close collaborations and projects with the world's best hospitals and leading companies in the industry, such as the one with Opgal and Elbit Systems.