GE is unveiling a new portable ultrasound designed to operate in developing regions of the world that currently suffer from poor access to medical care. The Vscan Access is primarily aimed at clinicians working with pregnant women, but can also be used for other basic ultrasound procedures.

The real goal for this device is to be used as part of a larger ecosystem of medical care, since it comes with wireless capabilities that allow midwives, for example, to send patient scans to OB/GYN docs for closer scrutiny. It’s built to withstand travel and it should handle accidental drops with ease.

The Vscan Access has a simple touchscreen interface that doesn’t require a professional sonographer to get around and six presets for common procedures it’s expected to be used for. There are also images of the scan planes used in different tests that can be accessed from the panel to get a quick review on how to perform each test.

The device is not yet approved by the FDA and there’s no word on how much it costs. It is, though, already available in some parts of Africa and Southeast Asia.

source:GE