New hospital ultrasound machine makes quick emergency diagnosis
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Patients who arrive at Lady Minto Hospital with a medical emergency can now get ‘FAST’ help.
A new Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (or FAST) ultrasound purchased by the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation for $70,000 will assist doctors in diagnosis and treatment of potentially life threatening conditions.
“FAST ultrasounds are becoming the standard of care in emergency wards across Canada,” said Dr. Shane Barclay, Lady Minto’s chief of medical staff who spearheaded the FAST purchase. He initially heard about the machine 10 years ago from a trauma surgeon in the military who was using one on soldiers. The FAST ultrasound is a limited ultrasound examination used to detect the presence of free intraperitoneal or pericardial fluid. In layman’s terms, the FAST will be used to look for bleeding in the abdomen, aortic aneurisms, blood or fluid around the heart or ectopic pregnancies.
The ultrasound machine weighs six pounds and is about the size of a notebook computer.
“This make, a Zonare, is the Cadillac of ultrasounds,” said Barclay.
A 21-inch-screen computer monitor accompanying the ultrasound allows image viewing, and images can be printed, loaded onto a portable storage device like a DVD or flash card for review by, and e-mailing to, a specialist.
Barclay said that with no CAT-scan machine available on the island, the new ultrasound will assist in triage of patients, helping determine if they need to be medivaced out.
Salt Spring’s family physicians have attended training sessions to get familiar with the FAST. David Barclay, (no relation to Shane Barclay), who is currently awaiting surgery for a diagnosed aortic aneurism, agreed to play patient at a recent session attended by David’s own doctor, David Woodley, and five other physicians.
“I was really impressed with what they could see,” said David Barclay. “The images are very clear. It took all the guesswork out of the job. You’re not fooling around.”
David Barclay got a bird’s-eye view of his stomach and heart.
“They can even see gas in your stomach. It looks like white clouds. When they looked at my heart, I could see my valves opening and closing. I don’t think it would be exaggerating to say that this ultrasound will revolutionize diagnosis.”
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