As Dr Matthew Reed, an Emergency Medicine consultant at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, explained: “We know that the prognosis for a patient with a beating heart is far better than for someone in cardiac standstill. Using ultrasound, we can see whether or not a patient remains in cardiac standstill following a period of intensive resuscitation, and may also be able to identify a previously undetected pathology – such as cardiac tamponade or ventricular fibrillation – that was not visible on the ECG.
"Ultrasound can also help to guide the most appropriate course of action, for example, unblocking a coronary artery in the cath lab, aggressive treatment of alternative causes of cardiac arrest, or possibly ECMO.”
“We set up an emergency ultrasound training programme almost 10 years ago, purchasing a FUJIFILM SonoSite point-of-care ultrasound system to complement those used in radiology and critical care in our hospital. Its robustness is ideal for the emergency department (ED), and radiologists and critical care physicians needing to scan patients in the ED are familiar with the system, which is another advantage. We now have around 60 clinicians fully trained in level 1 ultrasound, and the number of scans performed in a typical month has risen from 10 to in the region of 80 to 100. There is also considerable interest in using pre-hospital ultrasound assessment to complement care in the ED, which will help to streamline the management of cardiac arrest patients even further.”
Image: Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh’s emergency ultrasound training
About FUJIFILM SonoSite
SonoSite helped pioneer the concept of portable, point-of-care ultrasound, and it continues to be a world-leading manufacturer and innovator of bedside ultrasound systems as well as an industry leader in ultra-high frequency micro-ultrasound technology. Headquartered near Seattle, the company is represented by 26 subsidiaries and a global distribution network in over 100 countries. SonoSite’s portable, compact systems are expanding the use of ultrasound across the clinical spectrum by cost-effectively bringing high-performance ultrasound to the point of patient care. For more information, go to: www.sonosite.com.
FUJIFILM SonoSite, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of FUJIFILM SonoSite, Inc. oversees a direct sales distribution network in the UK and provides sales and marketing support.
FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, brings continuous innovation and leading-edge products to a broad spectrum of industries, including electronic imaging, digital printing equipment, medical systems, life sciences, graphic arts, flat panel display materials, and office products, based on a vast portfolio of digital, optical, fine chemical and thin film coating technologies. Fujifilm is committed to environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information, please visit www.fujifilmholdings.com.
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For more information about FUJIFILM SonoSite products, please contact:
FUJIFILM SonoSite Ltd
T +44 (0)1462 341151,
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