Transporting sick patients can be a stressful task, and the sicker the patient, the greater the chance of problems during transport. The patient’s vital signs are monitored extensively and continuously in all care areas of the hospital but in the emergency room (ER), the operating room (OR), and the intensive care unit (ICU), it’s perhaps especially important as many patients in these units need very close surveillance and doctors need real-time information. When transferring these patients, it’s important not to lose vital information when plugging and unplugging equipment, so called blind spots.

It all starts with weighing the risks of patient transport against the benefits. Transferring a sick patient from the ICU or the ER to another unit or department in the hospital can be risky – and it is often stressful for both the patient and the healthcare professionals responsible for the transfer.  Recent studies indicate that transported patients suffer two to four times more complications than non-transported ones, and about 46% of transported patients experience adverse events. Transport within the hospital is also associated with a longer patient stay in the ICU.

For a critically ill patient, the reduction or change of care and the movement itself can become the cause for serious complications and put their health at risk.  Airway-related and pulmonary complications can occur during transport, as well as hemodynamic alterations. Cardiac arrest remains a concern for critically ill patients undergoing transfer, and intra-hospital transport has been suggested as a potential risk factor for infection. But intra-hospital transport can be necessary, as patients need diagnostic or therapeutic procedures or tests that are vital for their treatment and need to be conducted in another part of the facility.

Nurses play critical roles in helping to ensure that transports go smoothly and without blind spots, but the process may require cumbersome setups, especially when using large patient monitors which, because of their size, are not very convenient for this purpose. Also, transport monitors often have to be placed in patients’ beds. This means they sometimes get lost under the covers or may even drop on the floor. On the other hand, unplugging a patient from a monitor to be transferred, even for the shortest amount of time, means doctors lose some potentially critical information.

CARESCAPE ONE, launched at Euroanaesthesia 2018 in Copenhagen, is a lightweight plug-and-play transport monitor, designed to reduce complexity and transport within the hospital, while being durable enough to withstand drops to the floor — as can happen in the hectic hospital environment. It is fitted with a cable mount that holds all the cables, improving patient comfort. The parameter connectors of the new monitor are easy to attach and use identical USB ports so that any parameter may be plugged into any port.

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Samsung announced 10 June 2020 the immediate availability of the RS85 Prestige, the latest addition to the company’s portfolio of ultrasound systems. The RS85 Prestige is designed for scanning performance and delivers consistent image clarity, depth of penetration and sensitivity to perfusion of blood flow. Dan Monaghan, Senior Director, Ultrasound at NeuroLogica, the healthcare subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, said: “The combination of processing speed, leading software and Advanced Intelligence features and performance makes the RS85 Prestige a beneficial addition to a hospital’s radiology suite.”
At the core of the image quality of the RS85 Prestige is Crystal Architecture™, which combines advanced beamforming (CrystalBeam™), sophisticated image processing (CrystalPure™) and advanced S-Vue Transducers™ to produce clear, uniform, high-resolution images. Additional features include:

• ShadowHDR™ – Designed to suppress shadows and enhance the clarity of detailed grayscale images. TAI™, TSI™ – Provides quantitative tissue attenuation measurement and tissue scatter distribution measurement to assess steatotic liver changes.
• LumiFlow™ – Displays a “3D-like” appearance to 2D colour Doppler, enhancing spatial comprehension of blood vessels and aiding in the understanding of vessel boundaries.
• MV-Flow™ – An advanced Doppler technology providing detailed documentation of microvascular perfusion into tissues and organs.
• S-Shearwave Imaging™ – Allows for noninvasive assessment of the stiffness for tissue/ lesions in various applications such as breast, liver, MSK and prostate.

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Radiometer has announced the commercial launch of its CE-marked point-of-care tests for creatinine and urea, the latest additions to the ABL90 FLEX PLUS blood gas analyser’s test menu. The versatile ABL90 FLEX PLUS is the only compact blood gas analyser on the market to offer such an extensive range of critical care parameters – blood gas, electrolytes, metabolites and co-oximetry. It provides rapid analysis of 19 parameters from as little as 65 µL of blood, with results available in just 35 seconds.
The addition of creatinine and urea to the ABL90 FLEX PLUS analyser’s test menu makes this device ideal for point-of-care testing, proving fast results that allow caregivers to make clinical decisions faster and more accurately. This enables a more proactive approach to treatment, helping to improve patient flow and reduce waiting times in emergency and critical care settings, benefitting clinicians and patients alike.

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The SmartCurve system is available standard on Hologic’s new 3Dimensions mammography system and as an enhancement option to existing Hologic Selenia Dimensions systems. With a unique, curved design that mirrors a woman’s breast, the system is clinically proven to deliver a more comfortable mammogram compared to standard compression. With pain being the number one complaint during mammograms, this fear of pain prevents many women from making regular breast imaging appointments a priority. Not only can this have a negative impact on patient volume and satisfaction scores, but it can put women at risk of a cancer being missed, or diagnosed at a more advanced stage. With improved comfort, the SmartCurve system was designed to address this challenge and provide a better patient experience for women during their mammograms. The device is F DA-cleared and CE-marked and was also recognized at Premier’s Innovation Celebration as part of its annual Breakthroughs Conference.

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Advantech, a provider of medical computing systems and services, has launched its HIT-W183 and HIT-W153 healthcare infotainment terminals specifically designed for a wide range of hospital applications. Featuring an Intel® N4200 processor, dual operating systems (Windows 10 IoT and Android 6.0.1), and an 18.5”/15.6” 16:9 widescreen display with projected capacitive (PCAP) 10-point touch control, HIT-W183/W153 offers healthcare providers a cost-effective and highly flexible medical computing device. In addition to a 5MP camera, HIT-W183/W153 is equipped with rear-access I/O that includes USB 2.0, USB 3.0, RJ12, RJ45, optional power-over-Ethernet (PoE) support (HIT- W153 only), and dual isolated Ethernet ports that enable separate Internet (patient use) and intranet (caregiver use) traffic for superior connectivity and data security. The IP65-rated true-flat front panel protects against water and dust ingress and can be cleaned easily to ensure the highest levels of hygiene and infection control.
For nurse call applications, HIT-W183/W153 features an integrated nurse call button with LED indicator and a handset equipped with two microphones and noise cancellation technology to guarantee optimal responsiveness and superior patient care. Compliant with EN 60601-1 and IEC 62368 medical and ITE certification standards, the HIT-W183/W153’s ultra-slim (43 mm) design allows it to be easily mounted on walls, counter tops, mobile carts, and bedside swing arms to serve as medical equipment control panels, nurse station terminals, pharmacy information systems, medical cart devices, and patient infotainment terminals. Moreover, to expand the functionalities according to specific usage needs, HIT-W183/W153 terminals can be integrated with a smart card reader, RFID/NFC reader, and optional barcode scanner and TV tuner modules. HIT-W183/W153 is built with an integrated handset that features two microphones and noise cancellation technology to eliminate environmental noise and provide optimal sound quality during nursing assistance calls. Advantech’s HIT-W183/W153 terminals are equipped with a red emergency call button and LED indicator that can be integrated with a hospital’s existing nurse call system to allow patients to request assistance or alert staff of any emergencies. The red emergency call button uses a separate power supply from that of the HIT system. This allows the red emergency call button to remain functional even when the terminal is powered off. Additionally, considering patients and staff usage requirements, the HIT-W183/W153’s front-facing function buttons are built-in at a 60° angle for accessibility and easy operation. HIT-W183/W153 can be installed in bedhead units or mounted on bedside swing arms to function as bedhead terminals or patient infotainment devices, respectively. Healthcare staff can use the terminals to access medical records and hospital information systems, retrieve laboratory results, monitor patient vital signs, and document treatment observations. Meanwhile, patients can use the terminals to watch movies/TV, make phone calls, play games, surf the Internet, send emails, request nurse assistance, and manage the ward environment, such as adjust the bed height, lighting, and curtains. These infotainment terminals provide a single solution that enables efficient provision of digital entertainment and clinical services at the point-of-care for improved service quality.
     
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