Doctors at University Hospital Southampton NHS FT are the first to use a new ‘pocket’ ultrasound probe which beams scans instantly to an iPhone or iPad.
The technology by US company Butterfly Network allows clinicians instant access to imaging in the Children’s Hospital in Southampton.
It has been tested by Dr Michael Griksaitis, a consultant in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Southampton Children’s Hospital, and his team and will be funded by dedicated charity Friends of PICU.
Dr Griksaitis said “This device is a game-changer for us. It is portable, quick, easy to use and provides immediate ultrasound in life saving situations – such access is unprecedented.”
“It allows us to scan hearts, lungs, brains, vessels and tissue using an iPhone or iPad as the screen and, although we are using it for babies and children, it can be used for all ages.”
Dr Iain Macintosh, a consultant in PICU and former director of the unit, added: “We are the first PICU in the country to use this technology and we have reported good findings, so I anticipate it very quickly becoming a must-have piece of kit for units nationwide.”
The devices cost £1,699 each and are fitted with a single silicon chip the size of a postage stamp and come with a mobile app that interprets images using artificial intelligence.
Mark Hilder, secretary of Friends of PICU, the charity funding the technology said “These state-of-the-art ultrasound devices will be equally as important in the future care of patients who are retrieved, as well as on PICU and other wards in emergencies, so we are delighted to be part of such revolutionary development.”
