Ultrasound Apps to Play With
Michael Macias
I wanted to take a few minutes of your time to go over some of the apps for ultrasound out there and recommend what I have found to be the most useful.
One Minute Ultrasound
First off the app is free, a major plus. If you are looking for a quick summary or refresh on a scan than this is the app for you. Just as the application title advertises, these are brief summaries of the core scans focusing on the what you need to know and how to optimize your views. The 'more' button on the main application screen provides a list of more videos for more advanced scans including shoulder dislocation evaluation which we don't see talked about often!
Ultrasound Handbook
When I use this app I think of several key words: concise and high yield. This app provides a mini handbook on all your essential scans in a compact and easily navigable interface. When you first download the app there is a brief tutorial to teach you how to sort through the book which is quite useful. Each ultrasound exam includes the following pages as shown below. Video and pathology pages are still under construction. I found the color anatomy illustrations in the 'Images and Illustrations' section to be especially helpful when compared to the accompanying ultrasound images. You can also add a specific scan to your favorites if you really like that scan... not really that useful logistically but a nice touch none the less. Great for a quick refresh right before to step into your patient's room to perform a scan.
Sono Support
This is essentially an ultrasound book on your mobile device. The app is user friendly and home screen provides a list of your scans. Within each scan you have a detailed explanation of including:
- Background
- Probe Selection
- Performing the Scan
- Normal Sonographic Anatomy
- Notable Pathology
- Pearls & Pitfalls
- Critical Images Checklist
- Documentation examples
You can navigate to specific sections by clicking on the top right corner of the screen which takes the pain out of never ending finger scrolling. This is an excellent resource to read up your your scans when you are on the bus, working out at the gym or have a free moment at work. It is however a bit too dense to be the go to resource immediately before you perform a scan.
Emergency Medicine Ultrasound
Besides the 1990s application artwork this is an excellent resource! The applications does not provide significant detail on mechanics of performing each scan however it delivers both quality US images (with associated animated sketch) and videos which describe key views to and measurements to obtain as well a variety of pathology you may find. A great tool to add to your app armamentarium though I would love to see an update with more videos for all of the scans.
