What is ultrasound?

Ultrasound is a common imaging modality that allows visualisation in real-time. As such it is becoming increasingly popular on the wards for diagnosis and management purposes. You should be familiar with its operation and know in which situations it may help your clinical decision making.

What is ultrasound used for?

Ultrasound can be used for

Assessment of jugular venous pressure (JVP)

Venepuncture

Focused assessment for screening in trauma (FAST)

Lumbar puncture

Thoracentesis

Paracentesis

Evaluation of abdominal organs

Biopsy

Pregnancy

How does ultrasound work?

1. High-frequency sound waves are transmitted from a transducer.

2. These sound waves are then reflected by different tissue types in different ways.

3. The reflected sound waves are then picked up by the ultrasound transducer.

4. The sound waves are then transformed into an image by special software.

Tips to Maintain your Ultrasound Machine

Properly maintained ultrasound systems can last for many years. So what should we do? Here are our top tips for ultrasound equipment maintenance,to keep the ultrasound machine in the best condition.

Clean your machine daily

Clean your machine daily to remove any dirt, dust or grime. This will prevent particles from building up and potentially entering and damaging the electrical components.

Clean air filter to avoid overheating

Your ultrasound machine needs an intake of cool air to prevent it from overheating.

If the air filters are dirty, clean them with soap and water or a vacuum cleaner. You can also refer to the ultrasound machine user manual to find out the professional way of cleaning them. Do keep A backup filter at your place that can be used when the dirty one isn't dried out completely when you clean it with soap and water.

Schedule the regular checkups every day

Before you start with the everyday examinations of your patients, Make sure that all the connections of the ultrasound machine are plugged in properly. Check for the ultrasound wiring, transducers as well as cables for any cut or frayed areas. If you find any, ensure that you replace them with any backup supplies instantly.

Full system backup

It is necessary to take a full backup of your system at regular intervals. It helps in reducing that downtime in case the system fails given to any software or hardware problems. You can completely recover your system by backing up network data in just few hours. On the contrary, without a full system, it could take up days for you to recover your system completely.

Give extra attention to the transducer

Ultrasound transducers are a vital part of a fully functional ultrasound unit. it is important to keep them maintained and clean to make sure that doctors can get precise examination results.

To ensure that the transducer is in top-notch condition, start by inspecting the pins on the pro connector. Lookout for any bent pins on the probe connector as they can damage another probe when they are plugged into the board. It can result in a cascade effect in the entire department has damaged crops move around those bending pins on other probes.