Ultrasound Gets More Portable

Phone, meet probe: An image of a fetus at 23 weeks is displayed on Mobisante’s phone-based ultrasound device. The probe connects to the device through a USB port.
Credit: Mobisante

This story "Ultrasound Gets More Portable" from Technology Review.com feature the ying and yang of medical technology. First the ying. As computing power improves, so will continue the miniaturization of ultrasound. This will translate into improved imaging. This will eventually make it so easy to read that all physicians will be able to use the technology without the assistance of a radiologist. Combine that with the rapidly decreasing cost of the technology itself, and you have truly disruptive innovation.

Now the yang. Marketers who grope for something to sell the product. Case in point, this quote from the article:

"Such a device would be useful for emergency responders, who could scan an injured person to detect internal bleeding or other trauma, and then immediately send an image to the hospital so physicians could be better prepared for the patient's arrival. Or a nurse practitioner visiting a pregnant woman's home could ask a specialist stationed elsewhere to weigh in on anomalies in the scan."

Really? Does this come quote come from the writer or from Mobisante? I don't know. But what it features is a lack of understanding about patient care. First. It would NEVER be used "so physicians could be better prepared for the patient's arrival". This is a common mis-application of technology. People continue to push this concept, and to date, I have not seen anything help a patient past getting the bleeding stopped, airway secured, and quickly transported to the most capable hospital. I can tell you flat out, no matter what that image looks like, the resources at the hospital will remain the same and the patient will undergo the same, immediate, well rehearsed trauma assessment despite the image. The second statement, "a nurse practitioner..." is a potential use, but still unlikely within the confines of the U.S.. However, it could be widely used in deeply rural areas in the U.S. or in third world nations. 

The fact is, it's best and biggest markets will be for physician teams that deliver charitable and humanitarian care around the world. Additionally, it could be very useful for the military delivery of medical and surgical care in theaters of war. But my first point remains. That is, this is an area (ultrasound technology) that is poised to be disruptive. Improve the imaging. Give the practitioner computerized support that makes it easy to interpret the image. That's when the game will change.