Dr José Luis Vázquez Martinez.
Doctors working in the eight-bed paediatric intensive care unit at the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital in Madrid are using point-of-care (POC) ultrasound extensively to evaluate the condition of critically ill children.
Head of UCIP Dr José Luis Vázquez Martínez has more than 25 years’ experience in paediatric intensive care medicine. He said: “POC allows comprehensive, head-to-toe assessment of critically ill children, including respiratory, oncology and post-operative cardiac patients, as well as those being treated for sepsis or multiple trauma.
“The POC ultrasound approach allows not only an initial diagnosis, but also routine monitoring of treatment to see whether or not a patient’s condition changes, enabling alternative strategies to be implemented.
“We have used ultrasound in our PICU for more than a decade, and have always had SonoSite systems, upgrading them as new technology is introduced. In the beginning, when my knowledge was more limited, the aim was to perform clinical echocardiography but when the SonoSite representative showed me the linear probe and the various techniques available it was as if I was being shown electricity after using candles. Today we have a dedicated Edge II ultrasound system with linear, including hockey stick, adult and paediatric cardiac transducers. It is in constant demand and is a perfect fit for our work.”
Read the full report on page 22 of the September 2018 issue of RAD Magazine.