Advanced New LA County-USC Trauma Center Redefines Resuscitation Through Integrating Mounted Point-of-Care Ultrasound

Main Category: MRI / PET / Ultrasound
Also Included In: Medical Devices / Diagnostics;  Public Health
Article Date: 08 Oct 2008 - 9:00 PDT

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SonoSite, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONO), the world leader and specialist in hand-carried ultrasound in point-of-care medicine, announced today that the new Los Angeles County-USC (LAC+USC) Medical Center has installed 12 S-FAST™ point-of-care ultrasound tools in each of its major resuscitation bays, where the most critically ill and injured people are treated. LA County Hospital is the country's largest and busiest Level I trauma centers with 150,000 ED patient visits annually and is recognized worldwide as a leader in trauma care.

By mounting SonoSite's zero-footprint ultrasound tools on the Steris® Harmony Ceiling System resuscitation towers with defibrillators, cardiac monitors, pulse oximeters and other critical care equipment, this highly advanced Level 1 trauma center moves to the forefront of integrating ultrasound into patient resuscitation and trauma care. Opening to patients on November 7, LA County-USC Medical Center will become the world's first emergency department to integrate point-of-care ultrasound in such a comprehensive way.

"This is a groundbreaking installation," said Edward Newton, MD, Chair of Emergency Medicine at LA County-USC Medical Center. "Ultrasound has revolutionized the practice of emergency medicine. We see 450 to 500 patients a day in this emergency department. A two-minute ultrasound exam saves lives and money by reducing the time to diagnosis and treatment. Sometimes 30 clinicians might be working on a trauma patient at once. With the S-FAST mounted on the resuscitation tower, the screen can be seen by everyone, rather than one person viewing the image and relaying the information to the others."

"Ultrasound is central to diagnosing and treating trauma at this hospital," said William K. Mallon, MD, Director of Emergency Medicine at LAC+USC and President of the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). "Relying on a stethoscope and palpation is positively Stone Age. Real-time decisions must be made in minutes. Without the ability to see inside the body, we risk making decisions with incomplete information. Why would I guess, when I can just look?"

"LAC+USC embraced point-of-care ultrasound early and has used several iterations of the technology," Dr. Mallon added. "The mounting system on the S-FAST tool is brilliant. It is this design innovation that enables ultrasound to be as pervasive and available as all other, critical resuscitation technologies."

The design and features of the S-FAST ultrasound tool represent a dramatic shift for ultrasound technology and it is the first ultrasound system to offer a zero-footprint option, a key advantage in crowded, hectic settings. Buttons, dials and menus have been stripped to the essentials for emergency procedures and it has industry standard VESA® compliant mounting capabilities. The S-FAST boots up from a cold start in seconds and its sealed interface is easy to sanitize, important for reducing the risk of infection in emergency and critical care environments.

Located two miles from downtown Los Angeles, LAC+USC Medical Center has been the lynchpin of Los Angeles County's trauma system and an anchor for public health since the hospital opened in 1933. The comprehensive hospital also serves as Pediatric Critical Care Center, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care unit and a regional Burn Center. The site is also host to the oldest academic department of emergency medicine and the largest and second oldest emergency residency training program in the country. The new, widely anticipated replacement facility, which celebrated a community opening on October 4, features a 136 bed emergency department, the size of a small hospital unto itself, designed and equipped to provide the most advanced care to its patients.

About SonoSite

SonoSite, Inc. is the innovator and world leader in hand-carried ultrasound. Headquartered near Seattle, the company is represented by ten subsidiaries and a global distribution network in over 100 countries. SonoSite's small, lightweight systems are expanding the use of ultrasound across the clinical spectrum by cost-effectively bringing high performance ultrasound to the point of patient care. The company employs over 600 people worldwide.

SonoSite, Inc.