Development of a Portable Endoscope To Expand Specialist Medical Care To Inaccessible Service Members

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is among the most common conditions encountered in medicine affectingá35 million Americans, and costsá$32 billion ináhealthcare for this condition alone. Active-duty and veteran populations are at higher risk of developing CRS, which is also associated with a significant decrease in health-related quality of life with increased rates of anxiety and depression. Visualization of the nasal cavity is required for diagnosis. However,ácurrent tools are large, expensive and only available to otolaryngologist specialists,áand not to primary care providers (PCPs) who do most of the diagnosis for military personnel. This leads to misdiagnosis, delayed treatment, and unnecessary referrals. Scopi Medical has developed a device which allows PCPsáto conduct a diagnostic nasal endoscopy. Unlike current devices, this technology is developedáfor point-of-care, allowing portable and quick diagnosis in a variety of military settings. ThisáPhase 1 proposaláaims to assess how Scopi's core technology can better serve US Air Force clinicians, and optimize how they diagnose and monitor sinonasal patients with critical and chronic conditions.á