Jean Zeid 06:53, January 23, 2024

Every morning, Jean Zeid delivers the best in terms of innovation.

This Tuesday, he is interested in the invention of the company EchOpen, a portable and inexpensive ultrasound system.

This Tuesday morning, we're talking health with a portable and inexpensive ultrasound system.


It must be said that access to medical imaging is a major challenge for the French healthcare system.

Only 4% of general practitioners are equipped with this type of equipment.

In Germany, it is 60%.

There's a bit of leeway.


What is the main obstacle?


The starting bet.

The initial purchase of this type of instrument remains the major obstacle and the whole challenge is to make the device accessible with a price allowing each doctor to equip themselves with a personal ultrasound probe, this is the The idea of ​​the echOpen company: to massively disseminate this technology.

For what ?

To improve the health of populations on a large scale


How can this improve the health of patients?


This is not an ultrasound system for characterizing lesions, for example, or diagnosing pathologies.

We are talking about an ultrasound to detect the first symptoms, the first alerts.

This does not replace the radiologist's extremely technical ultrasound machine, which allows a detailed diagnosis to be made, but it is a new practical clinical examination tool, as you will hear.


EchOpen has designed a 400 gram case that fits in your pocket.

Let's imagine that you go to your doctor with abdominal pain, the doctor can look at the organs using this ultrasound medical imaging probe which connects wirelessly via an Android or iOS application to the doctor's smartphone.

The ultrasound probe can record a photo or video to keep it or share it with colleagues in a secure manner.


And how much for this box?


Less than 1000 euros.

That's what's amazing.

Similar models already exist in the United States and China.

But not at this price.


And it's ultra portable, it fits in the pocket of a general practitioner or an emergency doctor in an ambulance.


This echOpen project is also supported by Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris AP-HP, which made it possible to carry out tests.

10 days ago, the device received CE marking.

It can therefore be marketed in the European Union.


This will be the case in the first quarter of 2024 in a few “pilot services”, before mass production by next April.