Ergonomics in ultrasound equipment: productivity and patient throughput.

The important issues to consider when purchasing ultrasound equipment are: image quality, speed of interface, controls that are obvious, quick or slow configuring, a narrow or wide triangle of interest, fast or slow function shift capability, the amount of layering, color that is muted or not muted, whether the controls are back lit, easily managed cables and probes, and whether the machine is pleasant to operate and easy to learn. All these factors will provide you with some idea of a system's productivity and assist the buyer in making a purchasing decision. Consider these points as a checklist when shopping for an ultrasound system, especially when the radiology manager is concerned about throughput and the bottom line as well as diagnostic information quality.

Detecting ductal shunting in premature infants by range-gated Doppler echocardiography.

Range-gated pulsed Doppler echocardiography has been reported to be a useful noninvasive bedside technic for detecting ductal left-to-right shunting in premature infants. We studied 30 premature infants with a birth weight of less than 1,500 gm, using a 5 MHz system developed by Advanced Technology Laboratories. An umbilical artery catheter was used to obtain a contrast aortogram.

Noninvasive evaluation of cardiovascular effects of preoperative sedation in children.

The cardiovascular effects of two premedication regimes used in paediatric anaesthesia were studied. Eleven patients received rectal methohexitone (22 mg - kg) and 11 patients received intramuscular Innovar (0.03 ml - kg).