These days, portable ultrasound machines are more in demand that save a lot of time of doctors and are extremely convenient for patients. Many times, after purchasing a Philips portable ultrasound machine, people get perplexed when it comes to the method of using it. The user manual provided with the kit can be a bit complex at times because of its technical language. On account of all those queries and confusions, here is a simple guideline about how to get started with your new ultrasound device:
Start with adjusting brightness or contrast on the monitor: This is one of the most imperative steps and it is the only setting that remains saved in your device. Go for the contrast first and adjust it around 90 to 100%. Before you set the brightness, observe the gray-scale that displays the current contrast and adjust it according to the light in your room. Now go for the brightness level and notice the highest point as well the lowest point that is totally dark. First, move the cursor to the maximum and slowly bring it down. Then, set it as per your convenience but remember that setting the brightness would impact the contrast.
Know that a ‘good’ image is something subjective: In this step, you would know what a live image looks like. Ask for a help around and if you can not find anyone, go by yourself. Hold the probe in your right hand and put some gel on your left arm or wrist. Now put the probe on the applied gel to see the image. Meanwhile you can make the adjustments with your left hand. Just concentrate on the live image and do not worry about its perfection.
It is advised to give a try to factory presets. Although it does not provide excellent results, you can look for any preset associated with apparent imaging of small part like venous, thyroid, nerve, peripheral vascular, default and various user settings. These provide you slight reference so that you can take notes and select your favorite. You can move forward to other controls after obtaining a fundamental sense of images.
Getting the knack of ‘gain control’: Well, it would not happen instantly but eventually. This gain knob is probably going to be the most used control for imaging. It accustoms the overall brightness of the ultrasound image you get on the screen. You are likely to use this control after almost every scan.
Not from the very beginning but after sufficient amount of time, you get the habit of operating it. Once you understand the process, you would be surprised with the clarity of the results that you get through a simple twist. One twist and you would see a world of difference in the quality of an image.
setting the focus position, focal zones, and frequency: These three things you can adjust as per the results you want. Focus position says the depth of the ultrasound at which you would like to have the highest resolution. As you move the position, you can notice the improved resolution in the area of chosen focal position.
> Focal zones permit you to have multiple focus positions in order to get a higher resolution of more than one area at once.
> Frequency adjustment allows you to increase penetration at the cost of resolution and visa verse.
Many ultrasound devices come with a feature called Auto Optimization that automatically optimizes the gain and contrast entirely. Keep in mind that if you have made a disaster of the resulting image, go back and reset the preset screen without worrying for a single second.
Portable ultrasound machines are way more convenient and vastly useful as it saves a lot of time and provides accurate results immediately. You can buy new or used ultrasound machines at Redstone Healthcare. Here you can find a wide range of ultrasound devices and you’d also get training for how to use it which makes it an easy task for any beginner.