The FUJI DRI-CHEM NX500 is an In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) analyzer and was developed utilizing the photographic technologies that we have built over the years. It is characterized by its quick analysis with simple operations after manually setting the sample. Together with a blood cell counter, the analyzer can help determine if the fever of a patient is caused by a bacteria or a virus. For this reason, the analyzer was utilized significantly at the early stage in China to quickly judge if a patient needed a PCR test or not. In response to requests from medical institutions, FUJIFILM (China) Investment Co., Ltd. installed the systems in the designated medical institution in late January 2020. Within the following two months, the company installed as many systems as they usually install over a two-year period in various medical institutions across China. Approximately half of these systems were used in reception centers for outpatients with fever, contributing to the formation of an early stage screening system led by the government until PCR testing capabilities could be reinforced.
- *1 IVDs:In Vitro Diagnostics. Diagnostic methods to determine a patient’s physical condition or infection by observing reactions to a reagent added to a sample from the patient, such as blood or urine.
As COVID-19 spread, the demand for chest X-rays rapidly increased in the UK. Radiologists who makes diagnoses from X-ray images were working under extreme pressures. FUJIFILM UK Ltd. conducted “Operation Workstation” to configure Home Reporting systems, enabling radiologists to analyze X-ray images and create reports on the SYNAPSE platform from the safety of their homes but with the same systems as in hospital. The hospitals where this solution was used rated the system highly for enabling a flexible and efficient manner of working and reducing the burdens placed on radiologists.
PCR test accuracy is higher when using a sample*2 collected from the lungs. For this purpose, endoscopes were used to collect samples at the early stages of infection spread in Europe and China. As medical institutions reinforce their array of diagnostic equipment for respiratory diseases, including pneumonia, the demand for bronchoscopes was also acutely rising. Fujifilm responded to requests coming from all over the world.
- *2 Sample: A substance to be tested, such as blood or tissue collected or excreted from the human body. Bronchoalveolar lavage is often used to examine lung infections, in which saline is placed in the lungs, and the fluid is collected and used as a sample.
- * This page has the same contents as Sustainability Report 2020.