Bedside Ultrasound coming to CCMH

With the purchase of a SonoSite MicroMaxx portable ultrasound system, patients at Cedar County Memorial Hospital (CCMH) will soon see improvements in patient care. CCMH thanks the CCMH Auxiliary for its donation of $12,000 toward the purchase of this equipment. The use of portable ultrasound technology is known to increase patient satisfaction by promoting convenience and speeding up diagnosis and treatment, particularly in the emergency department.

The MicroMaxx provides imaging quality and portability for bedside use throughout the hospital. It is portable, weighing just under eight pounds; flexible in the amount of clinical applications available; easy to use, with a soft-ware controlled system based on digital architecture; and durable to meet a face-paced hospital environment.

While portable ultrasound is extremely useful for immediate needs in the emergency department, there are multiple uses for this equipment. Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) is a rapid bedside exam that can be conducted by the emergency room physician using a portable ultrasound. This exam is particularly useful in small, rural hospitals where primary ultrasound services are not available 24/7. FAST exams can detect free fluid (blood) resulting from traumatic injury, as well as other abnormalities, and expedite patient care and diagnosis. In addition to its use for FAST exams, portable ultrasound can assist in vascular access, diminishing the need for multiple needle sticks through ultrasound visualization of a patient’s vascular structure. Using portable ultrasound, medical personnel can see the vein they need to stick. The same ultrasound visualization benefit holds true for I.V. and central line placement.

“The Sonosite Ultrasound adds an advanced degree of emergency care to our Emergency Department. It will allow us to use non-invasive sound waves to improve care to those who entrust their lives to us. Rapid bedside ultrasound can be used to assess fetal heart rates, assist in placing central venous catheter IV’s, evaluate trauma patients, and many other emergency applications,” said Dr. Sean Smith, BCEM, CCMH Emergency Department Physician. “This device adds a whole new dimension to emergency medical care, which is usually only found in much larger Emergency Departments. We definitely want to say thank you to the CCMH Auxiliary for helping to pave the way for purchasing our new Sonosite Ultrasound.”

With the addition of the SonoSite MicroMaxx, CCMH will retain its stationary ultrasound services as well. These services continue to be ordered through the CCMH Radiology Department, phone 417-876-3542.

CCMH is thankful to its Auxiliary for their dedicated fundraising efforts and their on-going support of the hospital and its patients.

THEY MADE IT HAPPEN – The picture is of the CCMH Auxiliary and the Sonosite machine they helped the hospital purchase. Pictured are (from left) Ruby Fields, Mary Lady, Sharon Young, Jeanie Hertzburg, Doris Fortney, Jan Richardson, Carolyn Steward, Luella Phipps, Chris Green, Sandy Eaves, Kay Sewell, Linda Bartkoski, Peggy Carter and Alice Hacker.