Blog posting By Kermen Bormanshinov
1st year DMS student
Montgomery College
Ultrasound on a Smartphone
Most Americans at some point in their lives will have an ultrasound exam. The purpose of this exam is to evaluate one’s health. Mothers first experience ultrasound imaging during their pregnancies, monitoring the development of their fetuses. The machines are large and located in hospitals and physicians offices but now it is possible through rapid high-tech development that ultrasounds can be performed with a Smartphone.
Researchers at the Washington University of St. Louis, with help of a Microsoft grant, developed USB probes compatible with smart phones. It was an unbelievable step from bulky machines to small probes that can be used with cell phones. Researchers are sure that they will help a lot of people.
These ultrasound portable devices will make lives of so many patients much easier, like patients with Duchene's Muscular Dystrophy. The use of USB compatible probes with Smartphone’s will make ultrasound exams more accessible for a general population. I think using these devices in ambulance mobile units’ will save a lot of lives. They can also be used in combat for the military to help determine the seriousness of an injury. This technology could save a soldiers life not to mention the impact it will have on lower the cost of imaging for the general patient population.
The typical portable ultrasound device costs around $30,000. The USB compatible probes sell for less than $2, 000, with a goal price of $500, which makes them more affordable. These lower costs for this technology will be very beneficial in developing countries since two third of the world do not have imaging services because of the high cost and the lack of trained professionals. With this technology an ultrasound scan could be performed in a remote village and then images could be sent to a clinic for a diagnosis.
Do you think USB probes compatible with Smartphone’s will make larger more bulky ultrasound machines obsolete in the future? Do you think ultrasound in a Smartphone will dominate ultrasound imaging? What are the consequences of wide availability of these probes to a general population? Do you think they will find a wide application in our community? What do you think about your Smartphone becoming a medical imaging device?
References:
www.esciencenews.com
www.sonoworld.com
http://news.wustl.edu
The DMS Program at Montgomery College offers three major concentrations of study- General (Abdominal, Ob/Gyn, Breast & Small Parts), Cardiac (Adult and Pediatric), and Vascular Technology. Upon successfully completing the DMS Program at MC, graduates are eligible to sit for their ARDMS National Board Exams. For more information on our Ultrasound Program, visit our website at http://www.Montgomerycollege.edu/dms
3 comments:
The purpose of this exam is to evaluate one’s health. Mothers first experience ultrasound imaging during their pregnancies, monitoring the development of their fetuses.
The new age of technology has proven many medical discoveries particularly medical machines like the one being used in ultrasound. I've heard of this innovation and I'm so excited to try this soon. I'm going mobile. Amazing!
http://www.ultrasoundtechniciancenter.org/
The new age of technology has proven many medical discoveries particularly medical machines like the one being used in ultrasound. I've heard of this innovation and I'm so excited to try this soon. I'm going mobile. Amazing! Greetings from Lisa
Post a Comment