What are Ultrasound Probes Used For?

The ultrasound transducer, also known as an ultrasound probe, is the key element or the central focus in any ultrasound system. The transducer probe is what is responsible for making the sound waves and receiving the echoes. If you can picture the ultrasound machine as representing a human being: the ultrasound probe is the mouth and the ears. The transducer probe generates and receives sound waves using a principle called the piezoelectric (pressure electricity) effect, which was discovered by Pierre and Jacques Curie in 1880. In the ultrasound probe, there are one or more quartz crystals ─ called piezoelectric crystals. In ultrasound equipment, a piezoelectric ultrasound transducer converts electrical energy into extremely rapid mechanical vibrations—so fast, in fact, that it makes sounds, but ones too high-pitched for our ears to hear.

The ultrasound probe is generally placed directly on the patient's body and moved over the area to be viewed. Since water is a good conductor for sound waves, a water-based gel is usually placed on the patient's skin to help facilitate movement of the ultrasound waves. For example, patients undergoing obstetric ultrasound are usually asked to arrive for the test with a full bladder.

The ultrasound probe also has a sound-absorbing substance to eliminate reverse reflections from the probe itself, and an acoustic lens to help focus the sound waves that are produced. Ultrasound probes come in many shapes and sizes, and the shape of the ultrasound transducer determines its field of view, and the frequency of sound waves that are produced determines how deep the sound waves penetrate, as well as the resolution of the image.

Ultrasound probes may contain one or more crystal elements. For example, in multiple-element ultrasound probes, each crystal has its own circuit. Multiple-element ultrasound transducers have the advantage that the ultrasound beam can be directed simply by changing the timing in which each element gets pulsed. The quartz crystals in the ultrasound probe change shape and emit ultrasonic waves when they are stimulated with an electrical current. These sound waves bounce back from the body and hit the quartz crystals, which then produce an electrical current that the probe sends to the computer. Variations in the current help the computer "see" shapes and masses inside the body. “Steering” the beam is especially important for cardiac ultrasound.

In addition to ultrasound probes that can be moved across the surface of the body, some ultrasound probes are designed to be inserted through a variety of openings of the body (vagina, rectum, esophagus) so that they can get closer to the organ being examined (uterus, prostate gland, stomach). Getting closer to the organ allows for more detailed views, for more precision diagnoses.

While the most universal use of ultrasound transducers is still visualizing the growing fetus in a pregnancy, there are other medical applications, as well. Ultrasound probes can be used to examine the heart, thyroid gland and blood flow in veins and arteries. In cancer patients, ultrasound transducers may be used to diagnose the disease or to guide biopsies or other procedures. The use of diagnostic ultrasound probes is considered safe, with no known undesirable effects.

Be Safe When Using Diagnostic Ultrasound

Diagnostic ultrasound is a safe and secure method of examining the internal organs, while avoiding the use of radiation. Instead, high-frequency sound waves are generated and the echoes that result from their bouncing off soft tissue structures can be used to measure size, to detect structural abnormalities, to determine whether a lump is solid or fluid-filled or to monitor growth of a fetus during pregnancy.

One of the reasons diagnostic ultrasound is gaining in popular usage as an imaging technology is because it is very safe in comparison with other techniques, such as x-ray imaging. This doesn’t mean, however, that diagnostic ultrasound doesn’t have some hazards if improperly used. The danger of diagnostic ultrasound, if any, seems not so much to be from misuse but from overuse. As is the case with many other things ─ too much of a good thing is not a good idea!

The type of imaging that is utilized in diagnostic ultrasound is used much of the time to try to identify problems or to pinpoint potential problems. Diagnostic ultrasound is very commonly used to determine the sex of unborn babies and the term “diagnostic ultrasound” invokes images of fetal pictures and growing babies. But diagnostic ultrasound systems have many other features, including precision and delicacy when operating on eyes to emulsify cataracts to make way for lens implants. Diagnostic ultrasound is also used to explore and monitor the entire human physical organism. No matter what diagnostic ultrasound is being used for, there is one common rule – the safety of the patient comes first.

Even though diagnostic ultrasound is so universally used, there is still some debate and even controversy about whether it is completely safe. Diagnostic ultrasound studies on laboratory mice have shown some cellular effects, such as slowed cell division and increased cell death, shown to be linked with prolonged usage of diagnostic ultrasound.

A few other diagnostic ultrasound studies have found associations between large amounts of diagnostic ultrasound and decreased birth weight, although the majority of studies have found that there are no negative correlations associated with diagnostic ultrasound and that there are no ill effects from safe and more sensible usage.

In fact, The World Health Organization recognizes diagnostic ultrasound as generally safe and recommends its use. To quote them: “Diagnostic ultrasound is recognized as a safe, effective, and highly flexible imaging modality capable of providing clinically relevant information about most parts of the body in a rapid and cost-effective fashion.”

Some sources are far more confrontational about the entire diagnostic ultrasound issue than others. Many dismiss the claims that diagnostic ultrasound is dangerous as an overreaction with no research to back it up, while others assert that the information generally disclosed in the industry is not 100% truthful and thorough, and that there are indeed significant dangers associated with diagnostic ultrasound. Therefore, it is difficult to ascertain that it is 100% safe and should be used with caution.

A good rule of thumb seems to be that especially when concerning prenatal diagnostic ultrasound, it should only be undertaken when really necessary, and only by well- trained professionals. It has become very popular to use diagnostic ultrasound in order to simply take pictures of the unborn baby or determine whether it is a boy or a girl. This practice, and repeated diagnostic ultrasound when there are no problems that clearly need diagnosis or monitoring, should be discouraged. It is better to be on the safe side with this and any other medical procedure, even if there is only a small amount of doubt about the safety of diagnostic ultrasound.

Don’t Compromise on Imaging Medical Equipment Parts!

An innovative piece of imaging equipment may be a lot more than the sum of its parts ─ but medical equipment parts for imaging systems must be in excellent shape for the device to work as it should.

Looking for medical equipment parts to replace imaging system parts that have worn out or need refurbishing can be very tiresome, as the specific medical equipment part you need may not be locally accessible just when you need it most, especially in an emergency situation. Even with the growth and popularity of online medical equipment part locators, finding hard-to-find medical equipment parts for your imaging systems can be difficult. A medical equipment part that is sub-standard or not exactly what you need can spell disaster.

That is where MedWOW’s unique Medical Equipment Part Finder Service can help. In order to best serve its international membership of medical equipment professionals, MedWOW partnered with a number of the major used medical equipment parts suppliers internationally. Therefore, they are able to supply healthcare professionals with any existing used medical equipment part from any manufacturer, make and model from any corner in the world. This means that if you are searching for a particular used medical equipment part and you can’t locate what you are looking for, the MedWOW Medical Equipment Parts Finder will take over your search, and find it for you. This medical equipment parts finder service is completely free, so just fill in your request in as much detail as you can, and then you can sit back and relax and wait for your used medical equipment part for your imaging system. This includes anything from MRIs, Cat Scans, X-Ray equipment of all kinds, C-Arms, PACs, Rad Rooms and more.

Your second option in used medical equipment parts finders, is to use MedWOW’s versatile and intuitive search engine, which is built using numerous filtering options, so you can search for just about any used medical equipment part and find it, even if it has changed names or manufacturers over the years, or even if it is also known by another name in different parts of the world.

Finally, the third creative option is to post a buying request, by filling out a form and giving as much information as possible about the used medical equipment part you need. MedWOW attracts sellers from all over the world and so you will likely be sent a few quotes for your selected medical equipment part for your imaging equipment, and can then make the most appropriate choice.

Whatever it takes to find your medical equipment part, your imaging department won’t have to experience any valuable down time as long as you have MedWOW assigned to the job!

The Convenience of Handheld Blood Gas Analyzers

Primarily used to detect the concentration of various electrolytes and glucose levels in blood samples, portable blood gas analyzers also measure pH, hematocrit and full CO-oximetry from a single sample. Additionally, blood gas analyzers perform bio-safe automatic sampling systems with clot detection and clearance. Portable blood gas analyzers are a necessary application in healthcare centers, hospitals, clinics and other related medical facilities. Portable blood gas analyzers have also been found to be particularly useful in pre-hospital monitoring for trauma resuscitation.

Blood gas analysis is used to identify and appraise respiratory diseases and conditions that influence how effectively the lungs deliver oxygen to and eliminate carbon dioxide from the blood. The acid-base component of the test is used to diagnose and evaluate metabolic conditions that cause abnormal blood pH.

Because high concentrations of inhaled oxygen can be toxic and damage lungs and eyes, repeated blood gas analysis is particularly useful for monitoring patients on oxygen. For example, premature infants with lung disease benefit from blood gas analyzers, so that the lowest possible inhaled oxygen concentration can be used to maintain the blood oxygen pressure at a level that supports the patient. In intubated patients placed on artificial ventilation, monitoring the levels of arterial carbon dioxide and oxygen allow assessment of respiratory competence, so that the rate or depth of ventilation, the ventilator dead space, or airway pressure can be altered to protect the patient's most advantageous physiological stability.

The measurement of arterial blood pH and carbon dioxide pressure with subsequent calculation of the concentration of bicarbonate (HCO₃^-), especially in combination with analysis of serum electrolytes, aids in the diagnosis of many diseases. For example, diabetes is often associated with diabetic acidosis. Insulin deficiency often results in the excessive production of ketoacids and lactic acid that lower extracellular fluid and blood pH. Acid-based disorders that are not treated are potentially life- threatening. Acidosis is linked to serious effects, including shock, cardiac arrest and alkalosis with mental confusion leading to coma.

There are many models of portable blood gas analyzers available on the market today, both new and used. Various models with a vast array of design features are developed for a variety of applications. Each model is meant to perform a specific task..Portable blood gas analyzers are self-contained, cartridge-based blood gas units with maintenance -free operation. The durable cartridge is comprised of a sampling unit with sensors and calibrating reagents that records test results on all analytes within 60 very rapidly, often within 60 seconds on the more recent models of portable blood gas analyzers.

A range of refined features in portable blood gas analyzers guarantee medical professionals easy operation.

Currently there are a number of manufacturers and dealers offering a wide range of top-quality portable blood gas analyzers. When shopping for portable blood gas analyzers, make sure you purchase one from a reliable source that can assure quality products that deliver consistent performance.

Tomosynthesis Imaging in Mammography Applications

Digital, cutting-edge imaging technologies, such as 3-dimensional tomosynthesis, have already found to be significant in earlier identification and diagnosis of breast cancer. Unlike current mammography systems, which generate a two-dimensional (2-D) image, breast tomosynthesis produces a three-dimensional image. Additionally, it is anticipated that tomosynthesis will enhance new applications, in combination with ultrasound. Using current mammography technologies, usually two x-rays of each breast are taken from different angles: from top-to-bottom and from side-to-side. The breast is pulled away from the body, compressed, and held between two glass plates to make sure that the entire breast can be carefully observed. Standard mammography records the images on film, and digital mammography records the images on computer, which can then be read and interpreted by a radiologist. Breast cancer, which is denser than most healthy nearby breast tissue, appears as uneven white areas which are referred to as shadows.

Mammography is an excellent technology, but also has the following considerable limitations, which tomosynthesis technologies overcome:

• Some women cannot tolerate the breast compression component and find it so uncomfortable that they avoid annual or indicated testing.
• This necessary compression also causes overlapping of the breast tissue. Breast cancer can be hidden in the overlapping tissue and not show up on the mammogram.
• Mammograms take only one picture, across the entire breast, in the two directions as described above. In this limited way, it is possible to miss cancerous areas or lesions that are too small to detect.

Digital tomosynthesis was developed to overcome these limitations. Tomosynthesis takes multiple x-ray pictures of each breast from many angles and the breast is positioned the same way it is in a conventional mammogram, but much less pressure is necessary. Tomosynthesis requires just enough pressure to keep the breast in a stable position during the procedure. The x-ray tube moves in an arc around the breast while 11 images are taken during a 7-second examination. Then the information is sent to a computer, where it is assembled to produce clear, highly focused 3-dimensional images throughout the breast. In this way, none of the tissue is missed as using tomosynthesis, there is no folding or “hiding” of potentially cancerous tissue.

Early results with digital tomosynthesis are promising and it is believed that this new imaging technique will make breast cancers easier to see in dense breast tissue and will make mammography screenings more comfortable.

In addition to mammography, tomosynthesis also gives better results than standard planar X-ray in the following applications:

• Brachytherapy
• Dental imaging
• Chest imaging
• Orthopedics
• Nephrology