Q. How new is portable ultrasound? Have their been any changes to it?
Ultrasound was introduced in about 1984 to the veterinary profession and since then the equipment has continued to improve getting better and more portable.
E.I. Medical Imaging® debuted the 5th generation of mobile ultrasound technology engineered and designed specificaly for veterinary professionals. The new Ibex® family of portable ultrasound system is a one of a kind system being shock and dust resistant as well as water resistant. Since the debut, E.I. Medical Imaging has been working very diligently with veterinarians and engineering masters to deliver the best portable ultrsound system for veterinarians.
Q. How does it solve the problem for the mobile vet?
In the past, the mobile equine vet has had challenges concerning ultrasound equipment that was either good quality but big, bulky and delicate to carry into the field environment or it was small and portable but the image quality lacked the detail of the bigger machines. Now with the Ibex® ultrasound, you get a small, light weight and durable field-tested machine that runs completely off of a lithium re-chargeable battery that has the image quality and software functions of the cart based machines. This means the veterinarian doesn't need to cary heavy extension cords and find a power source where sometimes it may not be available.
The new Ibex® ultrasound has features such as field of view, quick zoom, trackball navigation, cine loop (8 second video playback), flash drive image storage (JPEG), USB link, wireless link, voice tag, RFID reader for animal identification.
Q. How has portable equipment revolutionized mobile practice?
The portable ultrasound has revolutionized the mobile equine practice by making it possible for the veterinarian to make diagnosis instantly on location. It makes it possible to bring the equipment to the animal instead of transporting the animal to the clinic or hospital. The Dura Scan™ technology of the new Ibex® makes this ultrasound user friendly for the veterinarian while being dust and shock in this fast paced equine environment.
Q. What piece of equipment has brought the biggest change for mobile vets? Why?
A. The portable ultrasound in general. A system that is battery operated and worn on the body, like the Ibex® which prevents accidents (for example: like a foal running in between the mare and equipment and getting tangled in wires and potentially damaging equipment). The new Ibex® is a machine that can work at the clinic for small animal procedures and then be worn portable to go on farm calls so that the veterinarian can invest in one machine that does it all!
How has protable equipment improved your veterinary practice?
