New Ultrasound Gadget Fits in Palm of Doctor's Hand

But Alvarez, who is also chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Science at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, used the Vscan to look at a pregnant woman’s unborn child, he was pleasantly surprised.

Marketed under GE’s healthymagination campaign, Vscan provides “immediate, non-invasive information about what is happening inside the body and offers the image quality that until recently was only available as a console ultrasound, which could speed patient diagnoses and reduce patient wait-times,” said Tricia O’Neil, critical marketing manager at GE Healthcare.

The Vscan, which was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, is intended for primary care physicians, cardiologists, critical care technicians and gynecologists.

Its small size makes it easy for doctors to transport it from room-to-room and even use it outside the office. In fact, doctors used the Vscan on athletes in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The Vscan device has many of the same features as its larger counterpart – and a few extras: doctors can make voice annotations on the Vscan, and it can be linked to a personal computer for export of data.

Like any other ultrasound console, the Vscan can take basic measurements directly on the device, O’Neil added.

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