Reflections in Real Time

Sometimes We're the Bearers of Bad News

2009-11-10T21:04:00Z

I recently read an article in my local paper about "gender disappointment". That's the term given to wanting a baby of one gender but having the opposite and the feelings of sadness that result. I never realized how big a deal this can be for some parents. According to the article, it affects more moms than dads (or could it be that dads just don't admit it as often?) and can lead to periods of depression and anxiety before and after the baby is born. Those who have GD can suffer from guilt and be...(read more)

Breast Sonography: Not Just for "Cyst vs. Solid" Anymore

2009-10-28T20:03:00Z

Since October is both Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it seems fitting to extol the virtues of diagnostic medical sonography for breast applications. In the past, sonographic examinations of the breast were primarily performed to determine if a previously detected mass was a cyst or a solid lesion. Thus, many in the field had low expectations of the modality and didn't consider it very important. However, as a result of significant advances in technology, improved...(read more)

Happy Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month!

2009-10-21T14:30:00Z

Although much of the public's attention is focused on October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as most of us know, its also Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month . That means its our chance to increase the public's knowledge about the field of sonography. Ideally, your employer has already made plans to celebrate MAUM, but if you or they still need ideas a good place to start is with a visit to the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography's website where you can download promotional materials, logos...(read more)

Practice Due Diligence

2009-10-14T18:54:00Z

Its disturbing to read about students having a bad experience that could be avoided. Another diagnostic medical sonography program is the focus of a class-action complaint because it allegedly misrepresented its accreditation status. As reported in the Huntington Beach Independent , three graduates of the Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound program at Modern Technology School in Fountain Valley, CA claimed they were told the program was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education...(read more)

It Just Makes Sense...And Saves Lives

2009-09-25T16:14:00Z

The title of the article read "Woman bleeds to death after doctor accidentally punctures jugular while inserting a drip - and no blood is available for transfusion"- clearly a tragic result of a relatively minor procedure gone terribly wrong. Two unfortunate situations combined to cause the death of this young British woman: Namely, the physician did not follow accepted guidelines for line insertions and the hospital was not able to provide the specific type of blood needed for a transfusion that...(read more)

Help for Sonographers to Get Credentialed

2009-09-11T15:30:00Z

SDMS Foundation's Sonography Certification Examination Grant Program As announced in the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography's August Newswave , the SDMS Foundation has recently announced that Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences will provide funding for the SDMS Foundation's Sonography Certification Examination Grant Program to help the Foundation provide grants to deserving sonography students and sonographers. Students and sonographers who are SDMS members can apply for a grant and...(read more)

NJ Law to Restrict Sale of Ultrasound Equipment

2009-08-31T01:23:00Z

There is a bill in my home state of New Jersey that, if passed, will restrict the sale of ultrasound scanners. NJ Assembly Bill No. 3477 states: A person shall not sell, offer to sell, offer for promotional purposes, lease, or otherwise distribute in this State an obstetric gynecologic ultrasonic imager, except to a licensed health care professional or a licensed health care facility. The Bill makes exceptions for re-sellers, banks that finance sales and educational or research facilities. According...(read more)

OB Patients Come Prepared

2009-08-12T20:12:00Z

From my experience performing OB scans, parents-to-be who want to know the gender of their baby outnumber those who don't. When my wife was pregnant neither of us gave it a second thought - we were going to know if we were having a boy or girl as soon as we could. That might sound logical coming from a sonographer but then again I'm surprised at the number of sonographers who choose not to know their baby's sex before birth. I've always found it interesting to hear the rationale "We want to be surprised."...(read more)

Compact Scanners Continue to Drive Market

2009-08-07T01:12:00Z

A recently released medical ultrasound technology market report provides good news for manufacturers of ultrasound imaging (US) equipment. Sales of US scanners world wide is expected to reach $4.7 billion by the year 2012 with a particularly high demand for hand-carried (i.e., compact) scanners. The growing use of sonography by a variety of new users such as those in anesthesia, sports medicine, emergency medicine and other disciplines was cited as a major contributing factor in sales. Additionally,...(read more)

Texas Law Requires Widespread Cardiovascular Screening

2009-07-30T19:14:00Z

A new Texas law requires coronary artery calcium (CAC) scans and duplex carotid sonography examinations for ALL men ages 45-75 and women ages 55-75, as well as anyone regardless of age who has diabetes or is considered at risk for heart disease. That might sound like good news for both patients as well as healthcare providers but there are several problems with the concept. First of all, there are no scientific studies that have concluded that this type of screening improves health outcomes. In fact,...(read more)

Oregon Close to Requiring Licensure

2009-07-16T19:34:00Z

According to the June 30, 2009 issue of the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography's newsletter Newswave , the Oregon Legislature has passed sonographer licensure legislation. The bill (HB 2245) , which addresses licensure for a variety of medical professions including occupational therapy, MRI and sonography, has now been sent to Oregon's Governor who has up to 30 days to sign or veto the bill. If Governor Ted Kulongoski signs the bill it would make his state the second in the nation to require...(read more)

Biopsies at the Supermarket

2009-07-09T14:10:00Z

Researchers at Duke University are developing robotic technologies that they believe could change the way patients undergo ultrasound-guided diagnostic biopsies and other medical procedures. The team has been making steady progress with their inventions. The latest version of the suitcase-sized robot combines three-dimensional ultrasound imaging for guidance with six articulating joints to replace the hands of a physician and enable it to perform biopsies. The ultimate goal is to eliminate humans...(read more)

Law Bans Entertainment OB Scans

2009-06-29T15:01:00Z

In my last post I described a bill that was pending in Connecticut that would ban businesses that provided entertainment obstetrical sonograms. As an update: Connecticut's Governor M. Jodi Rell last week signed the bill into law. According to a story in the New Haven Register , the law was passed "... out of concern that businesses that offer ultrasounds to parents-to-be as keepsakes are potentially endangering the fetus." Typically, in the past, these "keep-sake" sonography services would require...(read more)

Prescription Use Only

2009-06-22T14:38:00Z

Call it a victim of its own success: Vast improvements in the quality of images obtained with three- and four-dimensional ultrasound technology have contributed to the modality's wide-spread use for non-medical reasons or "entertainment OB scans." According to a Food and Drug Administration's Consumer Health Information report entitled Taking a Closer Look at Ultrasound , "Ultrasound equipment is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Devices and Radiological...(read more)

Something to Smile About (Again)

2009-06-12T17:11:00Z

It's Friday--we should all be happy! Well, here is even more reason to smile, and maybe even raise your glass in cheer at your favorite watering hole (after work, of course): Yet another report has indicated that the field of sonography is one of the best "well-paying, satisfying professional jobs...begging for qualified applicants." According to a story on Yahoo Hot Jobs , "health care is a huge and multifaceted field with a wide range of opportunities." Although the story specifically mentions...(read more)