Uses for Point of Care Ultrasounds

 After earning his MD from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Dr. Jason Jaramillo joined Maimonides Medical Center. Now with Weiner and Gallo as a physician focusing on thoracic health, Jason Jaramillo, MD, is also currently pursuing a certification for point of care ultrasound (POCUS) to facilitate more prompt diagnostic care.

POCUS utilizes a portable ultrasound machine to diagnose specific medical problems. Rather than hauling an ultrasound cart throughout a hospital and relying on ultrasound-specific technicians, a surgeon, emergency room nurse, or other specialist can use the smaller POCUS, even hooking it up to a laptop. The procedure is the same as with traditional ultrasound machines - the physician coats the relevant body area with a conductive gel and touches that area with the handheld transducer, sometimes applying slight pressure. The transducer’s sound waves bounce off the patient’s internal structures, leading to the creation of a visual representation of the area being examined. The practitioner can then use the images to diagnose the patient without using a larger device.

POCUS is extremely useful because it can diagnose patients even in settings without the sterilization practices of hospitals, like ambulances or areas far from traditional healthcare settings. Some models even allow for hands-free operation, in locations with increased risk of contamination. Issues a POCUS can diagnose quickly include acute problems like internal bleeding or blood clots, shortening the time between diagnosis and surgery or other treatment.