Diagnostic imaging  

SonoSite improves cardiology capabilities of MicroMaxx ultrasound System

14 November 2005

Dallas, USA. SonoSite, Inc. has enhanced the imaging capabilities of its new handheld ultrasound system the MicroMaxx. It has added two new cardiology transducers, the P10/8-4 for pediatric cardiology imaging and the D2/2MHz CW Pedof for non-imaging, continuous wave Doppler to provide improved access to obtain peak velocities within the heart.

Customer deliveries of the P10/8-4 transducer are scheduled to begin in December and in the first quarter of 2006 for the CW Pedof probe.

The MicroMaxx system is the the size of a notebook and weighs less than eight pounds. It delivers image resolution and performance comparable to conventional cart-based ultrasound systems weighing over 200 pounds.

"For imaging in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, the smaller, the better," says Achi Ludomirsky, MD, Director of Pediatric Cardiology at St. Louis Children's Hospital and Professor, Washington University School of Medicine. "The size, performance and human engineering of the MicroMaxx provide a definite advantage. We used the new pediatric cardiac probe to image the hearts of neonates weighing 2400 grams up to toddlers weighing 12 kg. and were pleased with the diagnostic quality of the 2D image and spectral Doppler."

The upgrade also includes Pulsed Wave Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) for velocity mapping of cardiac tissue. TDI is offered on the P10 and P17 transducers as well as the system's multiplane transesophageal (TEE/8-3) transducer. TDI is available immediately and is a software upgrade to existing MicroMaxx systems.

According to Yanick Beaulieu, MD, cardiologist, and Director of Bedside Ultrasound at Hopital Sacre-Coeur de Montreal, the MicroMaxx system has become an essential part of his practice. "Hand-carried ultrasound systems can provide critical diagnostic information at the bedside that is not available by physical examination alone," Dr. Beaulieu says. Dr. Beaulieu recalls how during his cardiac residency his efforts to use big, cart-based ultrasound in critical care departments were stymied by a lack of space. "With the MicroMaxx," he says, "I can grab it and run to assess a patient in cardiac arrest wherever they may be located in the hospital."

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