Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Advancements in medical technology
Advancements in medical technology
How medical technology has changed
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
When someone hears the word “ultrasound”, they probably immediately think babies, pregnancy, and those fuzzy black and white computer screens displaying the picture of a developing fetus. Modern medicine has now gone much further than those often grainy flat images a mother used to see. Three dimensional and even 4-D imaging is possible, and not only in medical facilities, but in veterinary clinics. Only a few universities were using this technology in the 1970 and 1980s, but today, modern advancements and availability allows clinics to depend on this technology for all kinds of cases. (Epperley, 2012) So how does it work, and is it actually worth all the training and expense to purchase one of these machines? One will see that each clinic may have its own needs as its own budget for this equipment, but only being fully educated on the uses of this technology will help owners decide if a machine is right for them.
So what is ultrasound technology and how in the world does it work? The word “ultrasound” is actually the practice of using sound waves to produce an image called a sonogram. This works by the machine producing sound waves at a frequency higher than humans can hear, and sending them through a targeted area on the body. As these waves travel through the body, they hit objects such as organs, blood, and air, and bounce off of them. The more dense the surface of the object the stronger the waves will bounce, or echo back. A machine then converts these echoes into digital imaging, where a technician known as a sonographer, can view it on a computer screen in real time. For example, if gallstones are present in the gallbladder, sound waves passing through will echo off of these dense stones and they will show...
... middle of paper ...
...ions Continue to Expand. Veterinary Ultrasound Applications Continue to Expand. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-dept/small-animal-dept/veterinary-ultrasound-applications-continue-to-expand.aspx
Tremayne, J. (2011, August 18). Veterinary Ultrasound: A Go-to Diagnostic Tool. Veterinary Ultrasound: A Go-to Diagnostic Tool. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-dept/small-animal-dept/ultrasound-a-go-to-diagnostic-tool.aspx
Tiffany, L. (2008, October 22). Ultrasound Remains A Sound Investment. Veterinary Practice News. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-dept/equine-large-animal-dept/ultrasound-remains-a-sound-investment.aspxr
What is an Ultrasound. (2012, May 16). Medical News Today. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles
"Interview with a Veterinary Technician." Interview. Interview with a Veterinary Technician. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. .
Diagnostic medical sonography is a profession where sonographers direct high-frequency sound waves into a patient’s body through the use of specific equipment to diagnose or monitor a patient’s medical condition. As described by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this examination is referred to as an ultrasound, sonogram, or echocardiogram. The high-frequency sound waves emitted from the handheld device, called a transducer, bounce back creating an echo and therefore produce an image that can be viewed on the sonographers computer screen. This image provides the sonographer and physician with an internal image of the patient’s body that will be used in the diagnosis. The most familiar use of ultrasound is used in monitoring pregnancies and is provided by obstetric and gynecologic sonographers, who also provide imaging of the female reproductive system. Other types of sonography include; abdominal sonography, breast sonography, musculoskeletal sonography, neurosonography and cardiovascular sonography. Due to the vast nature of uses in sonography, most professionals study one field that they choose to specialize in. Diagnostic medical sonography is a rapidly growing field because of the increase in medical advances. The area of Cleveland, Ohio has continued to rise in the medical field with great strides, providing better career prospects with the availability of numerous employment positions.
The Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography is one of the largest diagnostic organizations with well over 28,000 members. They work with students who want to be sonographers. Some benefits are that they will help promote,advance and educate you.
Many wonder how do ultrasounds truly work. Ultrasounds are actually more complex than what they seem to be. First, the ultrasound machine transmits high-frequency sound pulses into your body using a probe, and then sound waves travel into your body and hit a boundary between tissues (Freudenrich, 2011). An example of this would be between fluid and soft tissue and soft tissue and bone. After that, some of the sound waves get reflected back to the probe, while some travel on further until they reach another boundary and get reflected, the reflected waves are then picked up by the probe and relayed to the machine. The machine calculates the distance from the probe to the tissue or organ using the speed of sound in tissue and the time of the each echo's return. Finally, the machine displays the distances and intensities of the echoes on the screen, forming a two dimensional image like the one shown below (Freudenrich, 2011).
In order to really understand where medical imaging is currently at one must have a basic understanding of where it came from. Twenty years ago radiologist would read and dictate the images on film. They were able to accomplish this by holding the film up to light boxes. This method provided no way for the radiologist to interact or manipulate the images
Humanity has relied heavily on animals for millennia, for everything from food to transport, companionship and entertainment, and as such animal welfare is a topic that is hugely important to us as a society. My passion for the preservation of animal health coupled with my love of science has set me up perfectly for a career as a veterinary surgeon.
In general, ultrasound waves produced by an instrument called transducer are sent into a patient. Some of the waves are absorbed, but the other portion of these waves are reflected when tissue and organ boundaries are encountered. The echoes produced by the reflected waves are then picked up by the transducer and translated in a visible picture often referred to as ultrasound. In the paragraphs that follow, the physics of how the transducer functions, what the ultrasound waves do, and how the image is formed will be explained.
The medical field is always evolving and becoming something better and stronger. In the imaging world
Ultrasound Technicians are very valuable in the world of health care. Also known as Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, an Ultrasound Technician uses special machines and equipment that operates on sound waves to determine or diagnose medical problems for patients. There are specializations within this field in which some individuals explore. For instance, areas of specialization includes but not limited to; pregnancy, heart health, gynecology, and abdominal sonography. Although each specializing branch has its own distinctive function, they all involve probing the body to facilitate doctors with diagnoses.
Veterinarian medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the diseases of animals, trained or untrained. Veterinarians are trained to help prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses and manage other animal disorders, in large and domestic animals. Veterinarians perform surgery and prescribe and administer drugs. They also examine animals to detect and determine the nature of diseases or injuries. Veterinarians treat sick or injured animals against various diseases such as rabies and distemper; they collect body tissue, feces, blood, urine, or other body fluids, for examination and analysis. Vets have to operate diagnostic equipment such as radiographic and ultrasound equipment, and interpret the resulting images. This practice is called Veterinary medicine, or veterinary science. There are three different types of veterinarians; veterinary pr...
In the field of Radiologic Technology it is very imperative that one continues their education. The advantages in doing so include the fact that one is allowing for growth and development during their professional career and another is that one is learning new skills and keeping up with new equipment.
Making sure your pet gets regular checkup is severally important. However, just like you get nervous when you are about to have a checkup it is understandable to be unsure what is going to happen at the veterinary appointment as well. In this article you will learn a few different tips on how to pick out a clinic for your pet.
There are a multitude of ways that veterinarians contribute to society. Vets work with research, food safety, lab animals, exotic animals, large animals, small animals, and more. Research brings medical, potentially life saving break throughs. Food safety keeps humans and animals safe and healthy. Exotic animal vet’s help with conservation and education. Large animal vet’s keep the meat animals and product animals, such as sheep and their wool, healthy. What is most important to me that veterinarians bring to society is keeping the bond between man and animal strong. Sixty-eight percent of US households has at least one pet. Our pets are what we go home to every night, they are pieces of us that makes us smile on bad days. As a vet, I help
In science we trust. The very fulcrum upon which veterinary medicine stands is constructed by seemingly endless discovery and scientific inquiry. As our profession advances, the health of man and animal has become so entwined that they are nigh inseparable; indeed, the primary aim of veterinary public health is to strive for the overall well-being of humanity through studying, monitoring, and treating animals. My passion for animal medicine developed at a far later stage than most aspiring veterinary students, which allowed me to acquire and evaluate relevant knowledge in a unique way. I started college in 2011, intending on entering an entirely different career, but through a diverse wealth of experiences, I realized that veterinary medicine
One of the most important and delicate piece of equipment that a hospital could have is the X-rays and Ultrasound machinery(Krans). An X-ray is an imaging test that doctor used to view inside of somebody’s body without any incision being made. Although this might seem incredible X-rays are very delicate since they use certain types of light which could harm significantly human skin(Krans). Biomedical Engineers are engaged with the mission of providing new machinery more effective and less harmful. Sometimes this can be very hard to accomplish. Science is constantly evolving and new things are being discovered therefore more questions are being