1.Application of urban medical institutions
Handheld ultrasound can assist clinicians (internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, pediatrics, emergency and critical care, etc.) to quickly examine patients or disease-related information and optimize the diagnostic process to achieve early diagnosis, triage and early management of diseases. For example, cough, chest tightness, dyspnea and other symptoms are often seen in patients with respiratory diseases, but also common in patients with heart failure, such as handheld ultrasound found that the heart is enlarged, reduced systolic function, usually considered as a result of heart failure, need to be referred to the cardiology department for treatment.
2.Application by medical institutions in grassroots or remote areas
Handheld ultrasound has good power supply and power saving performance, which can realize instant examination, obtain patient disease and complication information, improve the level of primary medical service and patient management ability. Due to its convenience and low cost advantages, it is suitable for primary medical institutions and doctors (family, village, general practitioner) to use, helping to achieve rapid initial screening and referral triage (up-referral).
3.Family chronic disease management
Especially in remote areas, grass-roots doctors (family and rural doctors) can carry handheld ultrasound into the homes of residents, carry out household health examination, disease screening and preliminary diagnosis, and assist the management of chronic diseases in the family. For example, paraplegic patients should be monitored for bladder residual urine volume at home, and special groups such as the elderly or people with mobility difficulties (such as pregnant women) should be screened.
4.Battlefield scenes
Handheld ultrasound is used in the battlefield, can be equipped with front-line teams, temporary positions or temporary bases, by the military medical staff or trained soldiers carry, at any time to use, to achieve timely acquisition of battle injuries. It can also be used in field hospitals in conjunction with conventional ultrasound machines. It can also be used in transport vehicles (transport aircraft, helicopters, armored vehicles, etc.).
5.The scene of the disaster
Handheld ultrasound plays an important role in mass injuries caused by earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters and major accidents, which can assist doctors in diagnosing the injured quickly and in batches at the disaster site or temporary base, and realize instant classification and triage, improving the efficiency of saving lives. It can be easily used by specially trained personnel, and can also be used routinely by non-professionals after a short training (such as the FAST process).
6.Emergency treatment scenarios
In emergency vehicles, emergency helicopters, large aircraft, high-speed trains, or pre-hospital emergency care, handheld ultrasound can be used to quickly identify fatal emergencies at an early stage, assist professionals in prioritizing judgment, triage, shorten patient waiting time, reduce unnecessary follow-up tests, and enhance patient and family confidence. (1) For acute blunt trauma, if pericardial effusion, pleural or abdominal effusion is found, it strongly suggests internal rupture, which can quickly help clinical decision-making; If combined with hypotension or shock, it strongly suggests the need for emergency surgery; (2) Sudden acute abdominal pain, handheld ultrasound can be used to exclude or diagnose renal and ureteral calculi, acute intestinal obstruction, intussusception, biliary calculi, ectopic pregnancy and torsion of ovarian cyst. (3) Acute persistent chest pain, handheld ultrasound can be used to identify acute myocardial ischemia, aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism, etc.; (4) Unexplained persistent high fever, palm ultrasound can be used to diagnose pleurisy, liver abscess, infectious endocarditis and so on. (5) handheld ultrasound can be used to investigate fractures of ribs, humerus and femur, which has been proved to be highly feasible in practice; (6) Handheld ultrasound can also be used for the exploration of craniocerebral injury (whether the brain line is offset). Especially for the emergency treatment scenes of inconvenient transportation or remote mountainous areas, the value of handheld ultrasound is more prominent.
7.Epidemic Scenario
Handheld ultrasound has played a unique role in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. (1) Conduct preliminary screening of diseases to quickly determine the cause of symptoms and provide more in-depth information; (2) Dynamic detection and management of severe patients, the use of handheld ultrasound to obtain the involvement of organs anytime and anywhere, and achieve dynamic continuous assessment, dynamic monitoring of disease evolution, and evaluation of treatment effects. In the isolation ward, if the handheld ultrasound has the function of remote consultation, it can effectively avoid the cross infection of medical workers.
8.Other special scenarios
Scenes such as assistance institutions for the disabled, elderly care institutions, refugee camps, sports venues and plateau areas can be realized based on handheld ultrasound, "doctors enter institutions and go to the herdsmen's homes (hydatid disease screening)", which greatly facilitates the examination and medical treatment of the masses. In space stations, submersibles and other special places, handheld ultrasound is more valuable because of its miniaturization.
9. On-site drug inspection
Check the human body through the palm ultrasonic investigation of drug possession, drug transport, contraband monitoring.
10. Medical school education
The convenience and accessibility of handheld ultrasound have been greatly improved, which can combine ultrasound with the teaching and training of medical students and play a key role in the process of medical education.
11.Ultrasound guidance and interventional minimally invasive treatment
Pain treatment, musculoskeletal treatment, intraoperative examination, early judgment and guidance of anesthesiology department, etc. In the emergency state, for serious pneumothorax, hemothorax, pericardial effusion and airway obstruction, handheld ultrasound can play a role of assisting guidance and improving the efficiency of treatment. For venous and arterial puncture, handheld ultrasound guidance can improve the success rate of puncture.
12. Weapon of ward inspection
When conducting ward rounds for hospitalized patients, handheld ultrasound can conveniently realize instant examination and obtain relevant information.
13. For animals
Animal inspection.
Post time: Nov-01-2023
