Pocket ultrasound devices now more powerful, affordable

VANCOUVER – Clarius Mobile Health launched its second-generation series of wireless ultrasound scanners, putting the power and image quality of larger, more expensive systems in an affordable device that fits in a pocket, the company said.

“Handheld ultrasound is revolutionizing the delivery of patient care,” said Clarius CEO Laurent Pelissier, whose company pioneered handheld ultrasound devices with its first release in 2016. Pelissier said there are 25 million medical professionals globally who don’t have access to medical imaging.

“They are trying to guess what’s happening inside the patient – such as during labour and delivery in underserved communities, or knowing where to inject pain management medication, or for paramedics being able to determine internal bleeding at the accident site,” he said. “We are taking the high performance only found in expensive, high-end machines and making it available to the mainstream medical community to use anytime, anywhere.”

Until now shrinking the size and price of portable ultrasounds has meant compromising performance and image quality. Clarius’s second-generation devices, almost half the size of the original devices, are said to have eight times the processing power of most handheld scanners, resulting in faster imaging with higher resolution and more detail.

“Doctors are making healthcare decisions for their patients,” said Pelissier. “They need an image they can trust.”

The new line up, which includes two multi-purpose scanners and four scanners dedicated to specialties such as sports medicine and anesthesia, delivers the performance of a $25,000 scanner at a fraction of the price.

Dr. Raymond Tang, anesthesiologist at Vancouver General Hospital, describes it as “amazing technology that takes the portability of ultrasound to the next level without compromising image quality.”

Dr. Alan Hirahara, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist in Sacramento, was among the first physicians to test the second-generation Clarius L15 scanner.

“It’s the perfect size and weight and allows great control while doing injections or surgery,” Dr. Hirahara said. He also uses the device at sports games for quick diagnostics on the field and in the training room.

For physicians operating in remote areas, it’s a game-changer. Dr. Reinhard Schernthanner, an anesthetist with Austria’s ARCHEMED, used a Clarius scanner while on a mission to Eritrea, providing ultrasound guided regional anesthesia to alleviate pain for more than 40 children undergoing surgery.

“For me as an anesthetist, an ultrasound is necessary to provide good analgesia,” he said

About Clarius Mobile Health
Clarius’ mission is to make accurate, easy-to-use and affordable ultrasound tools available to all medical professionals. Its handheld wireless ultrasound scanners connect to iOS and Android devices, delivering high-resolution ultrasound images traditionally only available with bulkier, high-end systems. More than half a million scans have been performed by 20,000 users since Clarius introduced its first portable scanner in 2016. Clarius scanners are available in more than 50 countries, with the new Clarius HD available now in the United States and Europe, other countries to follow. For more, visit clarius.com.