Philips Healthcare (Best, The Netherlands) presented its Sparq point-of-care ultrasound system at this year’s MEDICA World Forum for Medicine November 16-19, 2011, in Dusseldorf (Germany), and during the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) meeting November 17-20, 2011, in New Orleans (LA, USA).

Sparq’s novel intuitive dynamic user interface, intelligent automation, and excellent image quality combine to make the system easy to learn and use. Sparq has several major distinctive features: (1) an ergonomic design, with height adjustment and a 17-inch monitor on an articulating arm provides flexibility for the system to be used in challenging clinical environments. It offers a long battery life and an overall small footprint that provides mobility and access at the bedside. The sealed, easy-to-clean tempered glass control panel facilitates cleaning. (2) Sparq is designed with an intuitive dynamic interface that eliminates knobs and buttons and Simplicity Mode, a one-touch solution that presents only the ultrasound functions that are most frequently used. An AutoScan feature continuously adjusts the image while scanning, reducing the need for interaction with system controls during the procedure. (3) Needle visualization enhances the presentation of the needle without degrading the image, facilitating fast needle guidance. The system also provides an on-screen gridline display that provides a visual target and distance estimation.

“The simplicity of its design and the intuitiveness of its user interface make Sparq a pleasure to use,” Barry Nichols, consultant in anesthesia and pain management, Taunton & Somerset NHS [National Health Service] Foundation, Musgrove Hospital (Taunton, Somerset, UK), said. “Sparq’s ergonomically efficient controls and high resolution screen really benefit our clinicians’ day-to-day workflows. A compact and highly mobile device, it is also perfect to use in the operating theatre environment.”

Sparq offers a wide range of clinical applications specially designed for emergency medicine, critical care, ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia, and pain medicine including nerve, spine, musculoskeletal, musculoskeletal superficial, vascular access, cardiac, and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), and lung. The device can also be equipped with sophisticated service capabilities including online support, proactive monitoring to anticipate problems, utilization reports to help hospitals manage assets and increase efficiency, and remote desktop service, which allows for virtual on-site visits for both clinical and technical support.

“A great deal of effort went into Sparq’s features and design to meet the specific needs of our point-of-care customers,” Conrad Smits, general manager, ultrasound, for Philips Healthcare, said. “Our goal is for Sparq to simplify the use of ultrasound for clinicians, and enable them to provide the best care possible.”

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