United Medical Instruments - Diagnostic Ultrasound Blog!

Which Portable Ultrasound Machine is Right for You?

Posted by Leslie Patton on Fri, Sep 7, 2012 @ 09:09 AM

Compact ultrasound, portable ultrasound machine, hand-held ultrasound system….. regardless of which name you use, the general category is still the same: small, laptop-sized ultrasound machine that, in most models, packs as much punch as its cart-based brothers. According to our guru in the ultrasound industry, Harvey Klein, portable ultrasound machines are defined as “compact ultrasound systems…..weighing 14 pounds or less, including handheld, hand-carried, and laptop machines.” Others don’t put the weight specification as a defining characteristic, but instead think of it as moveable between locations.

The main selling point being that as point-of care demands increase, the portable ultrasound machines can easily be used in the Emergency Department, small physician practice or sports medicine clinic, wherever imaging needs to be brought to the patient, avoiding the need for the patient to be moved. But the question is, which machine is right for you?

Some physicians still believe that a full-sized 100 pound ultrasound machine is the only device that will yield the imaging results required to make a diagnosis. In many cases that’s just not true. Yes, 3D/4D technology requires more processing power that 2D imaging, and there are certain features that still can only be found on the cart-based ultrasound system. However, for many diagnostic imaging needs the portable ultrasound machine is the perfect solution – with its ease of use, comparable image quality, needle guided software, and affordable pricing.

At United Medial Instruments, Inc. we offer both new and used portable ultrasound machines. A quick breakdown follows:

GE Logiq e

A 10-pound, fully shared service, easy to use machine with the following stand-out features:
    • Panoramic Imaging
    • Split Screen – show two images side by side while live scanning
    • 3D imaging
    • Needle Visualization

Siemens Acuson P300

A 26-pound, workhorse portable ultrasound machine for a variety of clinical markets including: OB/GYN, Cardiovascular, general imaging and musculoskeletal ultrasound. Stand-out features are:
    • Panoramic imaging
    • Speckle reduction and compounding
    • Intra-operative and laprascopic transducers for interventional procedures, including an exceptional 18MHZ high frequency probe

Toshiba Viamo

An 18-pound laptop ultrasound machine that shines in all clinical markets from Cardiovascular to OB/GYN to Musculoskeletal. Stand-out features are:
    • Advanced Dynamic Flow – allows for directional color Doppler – see low flow every time
    • Application-specific calculations
    • Flexible modes with either tablet and touch-screen or keyboard

What are you waiting for?! Contact us today to schedule your FREE online virtual demo of one of these new compact ultrasound machines, visit our website to learn more, http://www.umiultrasound.com/  or give us a call, 877.490.7036.
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Topics: Toshiba Viamo, portable ultrasound machine, United Medical Instruments, UMI Blog, Diagnostic Ultrasound, laptop ultrasound machine, portable ultrasound system, compact ultrasound system, point of care ultrasound, GE Logiq e, Siemens Acuson P300

Point-of-Care Ultrasound Goes to Space

Posted by Leslie Patton on Wed, Jul 6, 2011 @ 14:07 PM

As ultrasound systems become smaller and the need for a quicker diagnosis becomes greater, point-of-care ultrasound has become an expanding market. The definition of this term is that those who have not been formally trained on ultrasound physics and anatomy are actually the healthcare providers now conducting the ultrasound scans for specific procedures such as vein care, needle placement, assessing organ trauma or disease.

A new challenge on the horizon is how to supply astronauts with quality imaging devices to diagnose potential medical conditions while they are on a mission in space. Portable ultrasound is one solution in providing point-of-care ultrasound to the men and women who are away from technology found on earth. Dr. Scott Dulchavsky, surgeon-in-chief at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, is collaborating with the International Space Station to develop training, protocol, and recommend appropriate ultrasound equipment to provide the space teams with diagnostic capabilities.

While there are a variety of portable ultrasound systems available, SonoSite has carved out a niche in point-of-care ultrasound. These laptop-sized units weigh 10 pounds, have a lightening fast boot up time and are developed with ease-of use in mind. Training can then be centered around teaching these non-physicians to recognize anatomy and pathology, interpret the ultrasound images they are capturing and arrive at a diagnosis.

Some experts claim that the point-of-care ultrasound market takes a step backward in the field of ultrasound, so perhaps instead of an on-the- job training approach, serious consideration should be given to attending ultrasound workshops provided by specialists such as SonoSite or Advanced Health Education Center. As portable ultrasound machines are taken into space, proper training and easy to use ultrasound machines will allow our astronauts to receive quality care off the planet as well as on it.

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Topics: portable ultrasound machine, onsite ultrasound training, portable ultrasound system, compact ultrasound system, point of care ultrasound