Point-of-care ultrasound is one of imaging’s fastest-growing markets, but it comes with specific needs, says Jeanine Rader, vice president of business development for ultrasound at Fujifilm Medical Systems. “It really speaks to health care’s evolution toward improved outcomes,” she says. “Our customers are trying to improve outcomes with more dynamic clinical assessment, and that’s where point-of-care ultrasound comes in.”

Rader explains that the technology must combine best-of-breed features of larger, traditional ultrasound units in a smaller, easily transportable package to truly work in the context of point-of-care clinical assessment. For this reason, Fujifilm developed its new FAZONE CB ultrasound system, which marks the company’s entry into the sonography market. “We’re redefining point-of-care ultrasound,” she says.

The FAZONE CB boasts a laptop-style design for use in small exam rooms, and can also be mounted on an optional cart that includes a keyboard and printer. “It won a design award in Japan — it’s meant to be used in environments where space and time are an issue,” says Rader. “The portability of it is fantastic — it’s small and lightweight, and can be hand-carried. It also offers a fast boot-up time, and is very intuitive from a technologist standpoint. The operation is easy.”

Traditionally, portable ultrasound has represented a compromise in image quality compared with larger units; not so with the FAZONE CB, Rader says. “It takes advantage of the technologies of the higher-end systems and offers them in a portable package,” she notes. These technologies include harmonics, compounding, B-Mode, M-Mode, Color Doppler, Power Doppler, and Pulsed Wave Doppler, as well as One-Touch Image optimization; additionally, the system utilizes the most real estate of its 12” LCD viewing screen, resulting in one of the largest image viewing displays available in the portable compact market today.

“It also has Sound Speed Correction, which enhances image quality based not only on the type of application, but on the tissue type of the patient,” Rader adds. The FAZONE CB also includes lightweight transducers with click-on needle guides and easy on and off the cart capability in tight spaces. “It has the functionality of a larger, more expensive, cart-based system,” she says.

Rader notes that additional markets are emerging for portable ultrasound that requires higher end image quality, including musculoskeletal, emergency, anesthesiology, and rehabilitative medicine. “As an example, a key point-of-care clinical guidance market is injecting pain medication into the joints for arthritis sufferers and patients with chronic pain due to former injuries,” she says. “There can be complications when you do that without ultrasound guidance. With it, on the other hand, you don’t have to second-guess yourself. It’s the safe way to make the patient better as quickly as possible.”

As Fujifilm enters the ultrasound space in the United States, Rader looks to continue the legacy the company has established in various forms of imaging innovation. “This product fulfills three goals,” she says. “It maintains the Fujifilm legacy of technological advancements and reliability; it offers anywhere, anytime mobility and flexibility; and it offers the outstanding image quality Fujifilm is known for.”