A SonoSite XPorte point-of-care ultrasound system is proving a key asset for regional anaesthesia at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust.
Consultant anaesthetist, Dr James Stimpson, said: “Queen Elizabeth was one of the first trusts in the UK to set up an ambulatory service for major shoulder surgery, and has been using ultrasound for regional anaesthetic procedures since 2004, when it purchased a SonoSite MicroMaxx system. Since then, as the use of ultrasound has increased and the technology continued to advance, further systems have been added, including two SonoSite S-Nerves and, more recently, an XPorte.”
“The beauty of the X-Porte is its simplicity, particularly for the younger generation of anaesthetists that have grown up with smartphone technology.
“Its appearance instils confidence, it boots up quickly, and the touch-screen interface is very intuitive to use; simple plug-and-play operation means that you can literally turn it on, pick up the probe and instantly have the correct settings to generate a functional image. The quality of the image produced is just fantastic, and the resolution is brilliant, giving much-clearer differentiation of nerve tissue from other structures. Our ability to pick out small cutaneous nerves has been revolutionised, allowing us to perform more selective regional anaesthesia and enabling patients to mobilise and return home far sooner than would otherwise be possible.”
