Bedside Ultrasound Improves Chest Drain Placement

An innovative point-of-care (POC) ultrasound system is being used to improve the placement of chest drains, enhancing the safety of treatment for pleural effusion patients.

The SonoSite S-ICU can be easily carried, mounted on an intravenous (IV) pole, or fixed on a wall or ceiling for zero footprint, saving valuable space in the intensive care unit (ICU). Other features include ruggedness (surviving being dropped from one meter onto a hard surface), a sealed interface that can be easily wiped down with disinfectant, crucial for reducing infection risk in an ICU, and a cold boot in just seconds. The user interface enables the rapid acquisition of images needed to rapidly perform key ICU exams and procedures, allowing image acquirement immediately using just two controls.

The SonoSite S-ICU uses simultaneous deployment of three advanced proprietary algorithms, the SonoADAPT, SonoHD, and SonoMB technologies, which together produce dramatic improvements in image quality. A complement of phased, curved, and linear array transducers is available to enable abdominal, cardiac, and vascular scanning as well as visual guidance of peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) and central line placements, dialysis access, thoracentesis, and paracentesis. The SonoSite S-ICU is a product of SonoSite (Seattle, WA, USA).

“As well as providing more confidence in selecting the area where a procedure can take place, the S-ICU enables us to complement the information we give to our patients, on the display and print facility, helping us to explain what needs to be done and why,” said Prof. Anoop Chauhan, MD, a consultant in respiratory medicine at Queen Alexandra Hospital (Portsmouth, United Kingdom), “ We’ve had the system for a few months now, and not a single day has gone by without it being used in either a clinic or on the wards.”

The growth of bedside ultrasound in the ICU and clinical wards has been driven by mounting clinical evidence showing heightened patient safety and less risk of complication when key interventions are performed with ultrasound guidance at the POC.

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SonoSite
Queen Alexandra Hospital