SonoSite’s point-of-care ultrasound systems are playing an important role in regional anaesthesia and chronic pain management at Morriston Hospital, Swansea.
The centre of excellence uses a wide range of SonoSite systems – iLook, MicroMaxx, M-Turbo, S¬-Nerve, and the recently-launched X-Porte – enjoying the benefit of increasingly-advanced technology in applications where precise needle placement is essential.
Consultant anaesthetist, Dr Christian Egeler, said: “Ultrasound technology is perfect for performing nerve blocks and has revolutionised both regional anaesthesia and chronic pain management.
“Like many anaesthesia departments in the UK, we now use ultrasound-guided regional blocks for our routine hand surgical lists and the financial savings are massive. We have recovered the cost of the ultrasound instrument several times over.”
Dr Simon Ford, also a consultant anaesthetist, added: “In addition to regional anaesthesia and pain management, ultrasound is used across the hospital for applications such as cardiac examinations, FAST scanning, and vascular access. This requires the ultrasound systems to be moved between different locations on a fairly-frequent basis, and portability and robustness are essential.
“The SonoSite instruments are ideal from this perspective. The systems’ image quality is good and they are intuitive and easy to use. You simply switch on and start scanning, which is a really big advantage.”