New ultrasound technology for Colchester General

Published: 7-Jun-2011


COLCHESTER General Hospital is among only a handful of trusts in the UK to use a new type of ultrasound machine that can assess patients whose conditions have deteriorated while in hospital. The Ultrasound Cardiac Output Monitors from Australian firm, USCOM, mean the volume of blood and fluids in worsening patients can be measured non-invasively. Lee Ellis, a nurse with the critical care outreach team at Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, has been trained to use the devices. He said: "Accurate assessment of a deteriorating patient's circulation is essential when planning and delivering the best treatment. Traditionally, patients would have been taken to theatre and have a long tube called a central line inserted into their neck under a local anaesthetic. However, the USCOM is a completely non-invasive method. It's a small, portable piece of kit that can easily be wheeled out to the wards where it takes only a few minutes to assess a patient. USCOM is good for patients because it spares them a trip to theatre and is good for the trust because it doesn't tie up theatre time and resources and, therefore, saves money. Also, there is always a risk of infection when a central line is fitted, but none with the USCOM system." The trust, which also runs Essex County Hospital, has invested £17,500 in two of the machines, one of which is used in operating theatres and the other on the wards.

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