Sonosite blog: POCUS for Pre-Hospital Care

POCUS in Pre-hospital Settings: Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Time is of the essence in an emergency situation, and may be the difference between life and death.  Ambulance crews on the front line must decide rapidly whether or not a patient is suffering from a life-threatening condition requiring specialist treatment, and point-of-care ultrasound can provide vital guidance. Geert-Jan Deddens, a nurse practitioner in emergency care with the Rotterdam Ambulance Service, describes the benefits of using hand-carried ultrasound systems to assess suspected abdominal aortic aneurysms, allowing patients to be taken to the most appropriate hospital…

iViz Handheld Ultrasound for Physical Therapy

Point-of-care ultrasound plays an important role in sports medicine, and is key to the successful treatment of many injuries, whether assessing muscles, tendons and ligaments for damage or for guiding spinal column injections. Returning to the sports field as soon as possible is a priority for many athletes, and a fast diagnosis is essential to kick start the treatment process.  Thomas Sokollik is a naturopathic physical therapist* with experience working in anesthesia and emergency medicine departments. Sokollik specializes in sports medicine at his private practice in Kreuztal,…
Sonosite sells it's 100,000 system

Sonosite Sells 100,000th Ultrasound System

FUJIFILM Sonosite is delighted to announce that we have recently sold our 100,000th system. A Sonosite X-Porte, our premier kiosk ultrasound system, was delivered to a hospital in California in early October. “We are thrilled to be able to provide the X-Porte as our 100,000th system to one of our valued customers,” said Rich Fabian, FUJIFILM Sonosite’s COO, who announced the recipient of the 100,000th point-of-care ultrasound system at an employee Town Hall meeting at FUJIFILM Sonosite’s Bothell headquarters on October 19th.  The Sonosite X-Porte was developed to…

Estableciendo un programa de gestión del dolor agudo que genere valor

Anesthesiology News Edward R. Mariano, MD, MAS Con la creciente preocupación con respecto a la epidemia de opiacios en los Estados Unidos, el Dr. Edward Mariano, Jefe del Servicio de Anestesia y Cuidados Perioperatorios del Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System y Profesor del Departmento de Anestesiología, Perioperatorio y Medicina del Dolor de la Stanford University School of Medicine describe una serie de estrategias para el éxito de los hospitales al iniciar un programa de medicina para el dolor agudo. Iniciar un programa de medicamentos para el dolor agudo puede…
Echocardiography with Dr. Robert Arntfield

Cardiac Ultrasound: Echocardiography with Dr. Robert Arntfield

Point-of-Care Ultrasound and Echocardiography Go from "zero to scan" with this 5-part video series from Sonosite and Dr. Robert Arntfield. Learn about Doppler Principles, TEE, Stroke Volume, TAPSE, RSVP and more. Learn With Sonosite and Dr. Robert Arntfield Dr. Arntfield is a trained emergency physician, intensivist and traumatologist who is active with point of care ultrasound in all clinical areas. He is co-author of the textbook: Point-of-Care Ultrasound and is director of the critical care ultrasound program at Western University. He is a past course leader for the American…

What's the Total Cost of that Ultrasound System? Download Our Infographic

You've seen the ultrasound demos. You've gotten quotes from a sales person. You're trying to make a final decision between three different point-of-care ultrasound systems.  All three systems have pluses and minuses; you're thinking of more than just cost. But speaking of the cost of that point-of-care solution, do you know what the final, actual cost will be, year over year? Of course, you know logically that the total cost of ownership (TCO) of capital equipment can be hard to determine, but that doesn't mean that you can't ask about it. (For the record, FUJIFILM Sonosite systems…
Sonosite: Ultrasound-Guidance for Fistula Surgery in The Gambia

Ultrasound Guidance for Fistula Surgery in The Gambia

Point-of-care ultrasound is a valuable tool for successful dialysis fistula surgery, allowing pre-operative mapping to find a suitable site and post operative fistula scanning to check for stenosis and adequate blood flow.  Anna Jerram, a clinical vascular scientist at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, discusses the role POC ultrasound played during a recent trip to The Gambia to provide critical fistula surgery to patients.  "The current hemodialysis provision in The Gambia is limited. The Ida Bass Kidney Foundation (IBKF) was established by Sailey Fladsrud following the death of…
Sonosite blog: POCUS Guidelines for Pediatric Access

Ultrasound Guidelines for Pediatric Vascular Access

More than five million central venous catheter (CVC) lines are placed in hospitals each year, making it one of the most common invasive emergency room procedures. Although NICE guidelines for ultrasound-guided placement of central venous lines in adults and children were first issued in the UK in October 2002, Dr. James Bennett, Consultant Anesthetist at Birmingham Children's Hospital, describes how the debate has since moved on from whether ultrasound should be used for vascular access, to what other information and safety assurances it can provide, especially in pediatrics.…
Sonosite blog: Scottish Program Puts POCUS in Rural Ambulances

Innovative Scottish Program Puts POCUS in Rural Ambulances

FUJIFILM Sonosite’s M-Turbo point-of-care (POC) ultrasound systems will soon be providing pre-hospital diagnostics across the Scottish Highlands as part of the innovative SatCare trial. This study aims to combine POC ultrasound and advanced communications to enable remote image interpretation and decision making for a range of time-critical conditions.The ongoing development of high speed mobile data networks has transformed telemedicine – remote diagnosis and direction of treatment – leading to improved outcomes for a wide range of medical conditions. However, many existing telemedicine…
PANISH NGO CIRUGÍA SOLIDARIA USES M-TURBO IN KENYAN HEALTH MISSION

Spanish NGO Cirugía Solidaria Uses M-Turbo in Kenyan Health Mission

During the Summer of 2017, a group of healthcare professionals – the majority from the Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca (HCUVA) in Murcia, Spain – travelled to Kenya in partnership with the Spanish NGO Cirugía Solidaria.They brought along surgical equipment – from beds to lamps to scalpels – to create a first-rate hospital set-up, most of which was donated by HCUVA. FUJIFILM Sonosite was pleased to support them by supplying an M-Turbo point-of-care ultrasound system for their trip. Angela Cepero Sonosite 2017-10-02.png  "Over the course of two…
Sonosite ultasound for professional Spanish athletes

POCUS Support for Professional Spanish Athletes

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is an essential everyday tool in sports medicine at the Clinica Ivre in Valencia, Spain. Trauma specialist Dr. Miguel Ángel Buil-Bellver describes how ultrasound examination of the musculo-skeletal system has made diagnosing injuries easier and quicker, informing treatment decisions and help-ing athletes to return to their sports sooner.The Clinica Ivre opened 10 years ago in Valencia and offers a full range of sports medical services for professional and amateur athletes, including the Valencia Paralympic Committee, the Valencia Basket basketball team…
Sonosite blog: Race Across America

Sonosite iViz on the Race Across America

The Race Across America is billed as the world’s toughest bicycle race; a non-stop, coast-to-coast, transcontinental trek from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland. Racers cycle for over 3,000 miles across 12 states of frequently arid terrain, and climb 170,000 feet through three mountain ranges, with the fastest teams finishing in just over five days, and solo racers in under eight. Dr. Rüdiger Eichholz, a consultant anesthetist at the private practice Medizi in Stuttgart (and keen amateur cyclist), joined the support crew of the winning eight-man team for 2017, armed with a…
Sonosite blog: 9 Reasons Ultrasound is Invaluable for Nephrologists

9 Reasons Ultrasound is Invaluable for Nephrologists

Point-of-care ultrasound is fast becoming a key instrumental technique in nephrology , supporting diagnostics and improving delivery of renal replacement therapy and subsequent vascular monitoring.Here are the top 9 reasons why nephrologists can't afford to ignore ultrasound-guided procedures and applications. 1. Kidney and urinary tract scans provide information about size, shape and echogenicity, as well as an opportunity to identify hydronephrosis.2. Patients with chronic kidney disease are often at risk of cardiovascular complications, such as left ventricular hypertrophy.3. CKD…
Sonosite ultrasound machines in Puerto Rico

Global Health: Fujifilm Sonosite Machines Assist Puerto Rican Recovery

Dr. Alfredo Tirado is from Florida Hospital in Orlando, and has been leading an emergency response mission in Puerto Rico to help with Hurricane Maria relief. FUJIFILM Sonosite has contributed four M-Turbos to the medical recovery efforts, and Dr. Tirado sent us an update on his work with medical patients on the island. He is being escorted by helicopter to the most at-need regions and in the image below he is using the Sonosite iViz to perform a FAST scan on a patient.  Sonosite-blog-post-puerto-rico.png "Thank you for helping us give…
Emergency Dept

Battling Opioid Over-Prescription from Inside the ED

Did you know that nearly half of all opioid overdoses involve a prescription?Physicians are beginning to tackle the problem at ground zero: in the ED, where many patients receive their first prescription opioids.From treating acute traumatic pain to identifying new ways to alleviate patient suffering, emergency medicine physicians are identifying new ways to alleviate patient suffering without prescribing potentially addictive narcotics. Innovative methods like ultrasound-guided nerve blocks can take patient pain from 10 to 0 in a matter of minutes.Join FUJIFILM Sonosite (booth# 2307) in…
Dr. Martin Zoremba (PhD)

The Changing Face of Anesthesia

With constant pressure on healthcare providers to improve the quality and efficiency of care while reducing costs, standardization of patient management is a logical step towards more streamlined services. Anesthesia is one area that is beginning to embrace this approach, combining regional nerve blocks with ultrasound guidance to improve both the quality and effectiveness of patient care while minimizing hospital stays.Dr. Martin Zoremba (PhD), Chief Registrar in the anesthesia Department at Kreisklinikum Siegen, describes the transformation of his department and the benefits that a…
Spartan Race

Sonosite Portable Ultrasound at the Spartan Race

From July 1-2, the Morzine ski resort in Savoy, France hosted the Spartan Race, an obstacle course open to all physical abilities and all levels. Competitors from all over Europe took part in the event.With cold temperatures (54°F [12°C]), mud, rain, and a glacial river, the competition lived up to its formidable reputation and in this type of race, competitors are put through the mill and injuries are common. When it comes to providing first aid to competitors, it pays to come prepared.Dr. Mourad Bensalah practices medicine in the Intensive Care Unit at St. Anne military hospital in Toulon…

WCUME17 POCUS Chat: Interview with Dr. Peter Steinmetz - PT. 2

Dr. Peter Steinmetz, co-chair of WCUME 2017 and Director of Undergraduate Bedside Ultrasound Teaching at McGill University answers questions around the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) and ensuring its proper use worldwide. You can listen to the audio interview with Dr. Steinmetz here. Read our first blog featuring Dr. Steinmetz here. What needs to happen nationally and internationally to improve the consistency of user skills and spread use of POCUS across medical disciplines? "It all starts with undergraduate medical education (UGME) as the foundation. There needs to be…
Dr. Thomas Sullivan

Global Health: 3 Case Studies Show the Value of POCUS in Resource-Limited Healthcare

Dr. Thomas Sullivan recently returned from Quang Nam province in Vietnam, where he had volunteered at a series of clinics in late July, with the assistance of ASSORV through the Vietnam Health Clinic group of the University of Washington.Dr. Sullivan practices radiology at the Center for Diagnostic Imaging in Seattle, WA, and borrowed a Sonosite Edge point-of-care ultrasound machine for his trip. Dr. Sullivan reported three medical cases that showed the value of POCUS in resource-limited settings.1). "A perimenopausal woman presented with a history of ovarian cancer, presumably by palpation…
thyroid surgery without the use of general anesthetic

Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery Using Ultrasound-Guided Nerve Blocks

A Sonosite SII point-of-care ultrasound system recently played a key role in an innovative procedure of thyroid surgery without the use of general anesthetic.Dr. Rüdiger Eichholz, a consultant anesthetist working for private practice in Stuttgart, Germany, explained the case.“We were approached with an unusual case; a young woman in need of thyroid surgery, but unwilling to have a general anesthetic due to a childhood medical trauma,” said Dr. Eicholz. “We looked at the possibility of performing an ultrasound-guided block of the cervical nerves pathway – a technique commonly used for carotid…