Handheld Ultrasound Systems Deliver Care to Haiti

January 25, 2010 - Handheld ultrasound systems are on their way to provide imaging equipment for care for earthquake victims in Haiti.

The twenty ACUSON P10 ultrasound systems donated by Siemens Healthcare are designed for the urgent medical needs, such as in Haiti, as they were designed for triage and emergency situations and provide physicians and emergency personnel with earlier, faster, and more accurate clinical assessment in seconds. The ACUSON P10 system provides Focused Abdominal Sonography for Trauma (FAST) protocols, which can identify free fluid from organ ruptures due to blunt trauma and identify foreign objects lodged inside the body. 

The system runs on battery power, and will scan continuously for one hour with one charge.  An average scan in disaster type conditions only takes minutes.  Because of its pocket-sized design and light weight of only 1.6 lbs., the ACUSON P10 system is particularly useful in the cramped and difficult working conditions in Haiti. 
 
Siemens donated ten RAPIDPoint 350 Blood Gas analyzers to Project HOPE.  These systems can be used to deliver critical care blood gas and blood electrolyte test results within minutes in a field hospital setting.  With these blood gas analyzers, Siemens provided sufficient test systems and supplies to perform 90,000 tests and worked with our partner, Smiths Medical, who also donated sterile blood sample syringes necessary to perform the tests.
 
In addition, Siemens donated enough MULTISTIX 10 SG Urinalysis Strips to perform 90,000 urine tests.  These test strips assist rapid diagnosis in kidney function, urinary tract infections, carbohydrate metabolism, and liver function.
 
The Siemens technical team will be available by telephone to support Project HOPE as needed in the set up and operation of the systems.

For more information: www.siemens.com/healthcare