Handheld probes connected to tablets and smartphones produce images to guide care of patients
The Sarasota County Fire Department (SCFD) has placed into service handheld Point of Care Ultrasounds — “probes that connect to a tablet or smartphone” to produce images that will further guide paramedics in caring for their patients, the Fire Department announced this week.
“The Butterfly iQ3 ultrasound system allows SCFD paramedics to conduct live telemedicine consults with the department’s EMS medical directors, who can see the patient and ultrasound images in real-time,” a news release explains.
“The innovative technology addition aligns the Sarasota County Fire Department with cutting-edge emergency medical practices, increasing survival rates in critical situations,” the release points out.
The paramedics have received additional training from the medical director’s office, during which they learned how to conduct exams to help determine whether a patient may have a collapsed lung or an injury to the heart, or whether blood is collecting in the abdomen as a result of traumatic injury, the release adds.
The ultrasound machines are carried on SCFD’s EMS captains’ vehicles “strategically located” in North, Central and South county, the release notes. The EMS captains have advanced clinical protocols “to bring innovative and critical medical treatments” to the residents of Sarasota County, the release says.
The ultrasounds, which were purchased with funds from a State of Florida grant, also complement SCFD’s whole blood program, which has been saving lives since February, the release points out.
For more information, call 311 or visit scgov.net.