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Abstract
Ultrasound-guided procedures are increasingly common in a variety of acute care settings, such as the operating room, critical care unit and emergency room. However, accurate judgment of needle tip position using traditional ultrasound technology is frequently difficult, and serious injury can result from inadvertently advancing beyond or through the target. Needle navigation is a recent innovation that allows the clinician to visualize the needle position and trajectory in real time as it approaches the target. A novel ultrasound machine has recently been introduced that is portable and designed for procedural guidance. The eZono 4000™ features an innovative needle navigation technology that is simple to use and permits the use of a wide range of commercially available needles, avoiding the inconvenience and cost of proprietary equipment. This article discusses this new ultrasound machine in the context of other currently available ultrasound machines featuring needle navigation.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.
Ultrasound-guided procedures are increasingly prevalent in hospital, clinic and office settings.
Clinicians frequently misjudge where the needle tip is on the ultrasound screen. This can lead to underestimation of depth of penetration or malrotation of the needle axis, and subsequent injury to neighboring structures.
There is a need for on-screen needle navigation assistance that is precise, accurate and is loaded on a portable platform that provides the clinician with simple and flexible experience.
The eZono 4000™ is a portable, point-of-care ultrasound machine that is designed for procedural guidance, and features a novel needle navigation technology. This technology is simple to use, does not require the use of additional positioning equipment such as electromagnetic field generators and allows for a wide range of non-proprietary needles to be used.
The eZono 4000 has been shown in two volunteer studies to improve initial success rates and accelerate learning curves when trainees were tasked with performing an ultrasound-guided interventional procedure.