Vscan by General Electric – GE Stethoscope of the 21st Century or 22nd Century Tricorder?

Looking like the offspring of a Star Trek Medical Tricorder and an Apple iPod Classic, the Vscan is a great gadget that many expectant mothers would love to have. A lot of doctors would also love to have one in their office.

The General Electric R&D department must have worked some long nights and weekends to bring this truly amazing piece of technology to reality. Previously, ultrasound scanners were expensive and bulky devices. Now, at least the size is reduced to be able to fit in the doctor’s lab coat, or even a mom’s purse to show off her soon-to-be child.

GE’s Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt introduced this product during the 2009 Web 2.0 Summit.

Imagine paramedics arriving at an accident scene and having that technology available to look into a person’s body for damaged organs before moving the victim to a stretcher. Imagine a doctor in Africa being able to carry this around in his pocket from village to village, bringing a new level of care to people who need it.

Doctors in emergency rooms would be able to add this to their tool to rapidly evaluate and triage patients more efficiently and rapidly; speed and accuracy is real important in an emergency room.

GE communicates this more eloquently:

Pocket-sized technology like Vscan has the potential to help redefine the physical exam and improve patient care by enhancing a doctor’s ability to quickly and accurately make a diagnosis. For critical care clinicians, Vscan can offer an immediate look beyond patient vital signs with the potential to identify critical issues, like fluid around the heart, which could be a sign of congestive heart failure. And for cardiologists, Vscan provides a dependable visual evaluation of how well the heart is pumping at a glance, so they can treat patients more efficiently.

Hey Scotty! Beam yourself down here and look at the Vscan.

vscan

Read more: http://www.devicemag.com/2009/10/23/vscan-by-general-electric-%E2%80%93-ge-stethoscope-of-the-21st-century-or-22nd-century-tricorder/#ixzz0V0gZ6SMm