New Cross Hospital buys two new ultrasound systems, selecting on the basis of quality of imaging and colour rather than ergonomic considerations
New Cross Hospital, part of the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust, has added two new HDI 5000 SonoCT ultrasound systems to the three Philips instruments already installed in the Maternity Ultrasound Department.
Superintendent radiographer Sue Burford said, "We chose the HDI 5000 for its quality of diagnostic imaging, the colour and power Doppler technology, plus SonoCT, which has significantly improved image resolution, especially for larger patients.
All these features allow us to scan quickly, get excellent images and reduce the need for repeat scans which, for a department that carries out 20,000 scans a year, is very important." The two new instruments have helped the department to introduce a special ultrasound clinic on Saturdays for gynaecology patients, reducing the waiting list from 20 weeks to 2-6 weeks.
Sue explained: "This has been of enormous benefit to the patients and has boosted staff morale because there is time to spread weekly caseloads more evenly.
We also now run a weekly pelvic mass clinic and have a consultant in attendance so that patients requiring urgent treatment can be fast tracked to theatre without the need for separate referral appointments.
The extra capacity the new instruments have created in the Maternity Ultrasound Department means that the general radiology department is now freed from all gynaecological work." The team at New Cross looked at several machines and Sue concluded: "We settled on the comparatively large HDI 5000 instrument because the image quality is just so good and this outweighs ergonomic features of some new systems on the market.
We have added our own ergonomic features with slave monitors and variable-height couches and stools."
