Dr. Thomas Sullivan recently returned from Quang Nam province in Vietnam, where he had volunteered at a series of clinics in late July, with the assistance of ASSORV through the Vietnam Health Clinic group of the University of Washington.
Dr. Sullivan practises radiology at the Centre for Diagnostic Imageing in Seattle, WA, and borrowed a Sonosite Edge point-of-care ultrasound machine for his trip. Dr. Sullivan reported three medical cases that showed the value of POCUS in resource-limited settings.
1). "A perimenopausal woman presented with a history of ovarian cancer, presumably by palpation of a mass. POCUS showed a simple appearing adnexal cyst. We were able to reassure her and her family that this was likely not malignant cancer, and she was instructed to follow up at the regional hospital.
2). A woman with a 7 month gestation presented with findings concerning for foetal intrauterine growth restriction. Using the Edge’s OB calculations, we determined that biometrics were consistent with 7-month gestation, with normal fluid and placenta.
3). A woman presented with pedal edoema and shortness of breath. Since we did not have mobile lab facilities, we could not exclude liver failure or nephrotic syndrome. By scanning her heart, we were able to determine she was in heart failure due to chamber enlargement and wall motion abnormality, and then provide treatment accordingly."
Learn About Sonosite's Global Health Programme
Sonosite's Global Health programme provides free or discounted ultrasound machines for use in medical volunteering. Read about how to partner with Sonosite on our Global Health page.
