New Ultrasound Technology Aids in Pain Management Procedures

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 26 Oct 2010

The focused controls of a new point-of-care ultrasound system are proving a real benefit to anesthesiologists and pain specialists in the United Kingdom.

Designed for anesthesiologists, the SonoSite S-Nerve ultrasound tool has fewer buttons, menus and dials; therefore, it is easy to use. Due to its clear image quality, the user can see exactly where, and into what, to place a needle. The target area can be focused in on in seconds, using just two controls. In addition, the user can transfer images right onto a thumb drive via high-speed universal serial bus (USB) ports.

Dr. E.S. Lin, a consultant anesthetist within the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS [National Health Service] Trust (UK), explained, "The anesthesia department has been using point-of-care ultrasound for around three years, and we have recently acquired several S-Nerve instruments for use with our pain management service. The compact nature of the SonoSite (Bothell, WA, USA) S-Nerve system is particularly suited to this application, offering better ergonomics and allowing you to view the screen conveniently when at the operating table. The streamlined user interface makes the system faster and more user-friendly. This is particularly useful when you are scrubbed and need to operate the machine through the theatre staff.”

"The S-Nerve systems are increasingly useful to our busy pain management service, allowing us to improve the safety and efficacy of our pain relief procedures. We run chronic pain clinics and pain procedure lists every day of the week, seeing around 2,000 new cases annually and using ultrasound-guidance in an increasing proportion of our procedures. Relying on a robust, easy-to-use ultrasound instrument is an important element of our practice. These latest systems complement the several MicroMaxx systems used throughout the hospital, in ICU [intensive care unit] and to provide regional anesthesia," explained Dr. Lin.

Related Links:
SonoSite
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust