Ultrasound Probe, Sterile Procedure Kit Designed for Needle-Guided Procedures

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 03 Apr 2012
An ultrasound probe and sterile procedure kit provides needle-guided procedures with a precise path to the anatomic target and uninterrupted needle visualization throughout an entire procedure.

Soma Access Systems, LLC (Greenville, SC, USA) has received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its AxoTrack sterile procedure kit. This is combined with the recent news that Terason (Burlington, MA, USA), a manufacturer of high-performance portable ultrasound systems, received 510(k) clearance for the first ultrasound probe to be equipped with Soma’s patented AxoTrack virtual needle technology.

Image: The AxoTrack needle guidance ultrasound probe (Photo courtesy of Terason / Soma Access Systems).

Together, the Terason ultrasound system AxoTrack-equipped probe and AxoTrack sterile procedure kit comprise a system specifically designed to perform needle-guided procedures accurately and effectively every time. When tested in vitro, the first attempt success rate for accurate needle placement using AxoTrack technology was 99.3% versus 37.1% with the standard freehand method.

“This device has the potential to increase physician accuracy and set a new standard of care, significantly reducing morbidity and mortality. The AxoTrack system successfully combines life-saving precision with user-friendly functionality,” said Stephen F. Ridley, MD, president and chief medical officer of Soma Access Systems, LLC.

AxoTrack will be available on Terason ultrasound systems by mid-Summer 2012. Additional ultrasound manufacturers are expected to launch AxoTrack platforms in the near future. Introduced as ExactTrack during beta testing, the AxoTrack system is the first product in a comprehensive range of solutions from Soma Access Systems that will carry the AxoTrack brand.

Terason, a division of Teratech Corp., is a diagnostic ultrasound technology company that develops compact equipment to generate diagnostic images previously possible only using large, expensive machines. A developer of portable ultrasound systems, Terason was established by Dr. Alice Chiang in 1994 as a spin-off of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory (Cambridge, MA, USA).

Related Links:

Soma Access Systems
Terason



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