US portability transorms Harlow’s patient strategy

Dr Jeff Phillips uses a SonoSite ultrasound system

Point-of-care ultrasound is reported to have transformed patient management strategy within ICU at The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, due to the portability and ease of use of SonoSite systems.

According to Dr Jeff Phillips, consultant intensivist and clinical lead for anaesthetics: “Intensivists in mainland Europe have been using portable ultrasound systems for some time, particularly for echocardiography, and we were keen to introduce the service here.

“We have made major changes in the way we treat patients since their introduction. We make a lot of decisions based on echocardiography and now perform over 95 per cent of our scans on the unit, rather than having to refer patients to cardiology.”

See the full report on page 5 of the June 2010 issue of RAD Magazine.