Skip to main content

Safe scanning – COVID-19 - five rules

Safe scanning – COVID-19 - five rules

Prof. Thomas Binder, MD, FESC
Tue, 31/03/2020

The world of ultrasound does not stop turning and we will still need to perform US exams in our patients.

But what if a patient you are scanning is infected and you don’t know? Here are five rules that will reduce the risk of getting infected too.

Image five

1) Only perform US when absolutely necessary

Now is not the time to scan patients simply because you want to know if hypertrophy is present, to see if steatosis of the liver is present or for routine follow up of a carotid plaque. Only perform a scan if your result can has important management implications.

2) Protective gear

Both you and the patient should wear a “surgical” mask. With the shortage of N95 or FFP II/III masks these should be reserved for health care professionals who are in contact with COVID-19 positive patients. I would also recommend to wear gloves (which you should use anyway) AND wash your hands after each patient.

Gloves

3) Use an abbreviated protocol

Now is not the time to adhere to “guidelines” and to an extended imaging protocol. Keep the examination time short and focus on the relevant. The shorter your exposition to an infected patient is the less likely it is that you will get infected.

4) Disinfect your transducer / scanner

Even if the transducer does not get in contact with mucous membranes you should disinfect your transducer (for example with a wet wipe) after every scan. All vendors I know actually have a webpage that provides guidance on what disinfectant you can use. Don’t move your scanner around, especially to wards and ICU.

5) Use ultrasound to suspect COVID.

Patients with COIVD-19 can be asymptomatic or present with all sorts of symptoms. Dyspnea in a patient with heart failure could also be related to Covid-19 pneumonia. Also ask for symptoms of diarrhea, emesis, headache, taste and smell disorders. If you have the suspicion  - why not move the transducer to the lung. Here is what you might see:

Lung US (B-lines in a patient with COVID-19 pneumonia)

 

And here is the link to our free content (https://www.123sonography.com/covid-19) where you can find much more teaching material dealing on COVID-19 and the lung.

I can only urge you to adhere to these simple rules and wish us all that we will soon be able to provide the level of care to patients that they deserve. Again without restrictions

Stay healthy

Thomas Binder and the 123sonography team


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Woman Burned to Death, Accused of Kidnapping 7yrs Old Boy in Delta

By Tessy ogbemi An angry mob set ablaze a woman accused in a failed child kidnapping attempt in Agbarho community, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.  The incident happened on Wednesday, September 24, 2025.  An eyewitness disclosed at the scene of the incident at Ekwvere Road claimed that the woman hid the seven year old boy she allegedly abducted in a sack, adding that she was even carrying a Bible on one hand.  Community sources said some residents in the area accosted the lady when they observed the way she was dragging the sack, to know what she had in it.  "She was unstable when they asked her to disclose what she was carrying in the sack. When the bag was forced open, they found a seven year old child in it. They shouted and it attracted a large crowd,” a source said.  It was gathered that the angry mob immediately brought a used tyre to the scene, which they forced down her neck after beating her to a pulp.  “The lady and the tyre we...
2 comments
Read more

Breaking: ASUU suspends 2-week warning strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has suspended its two-week warning strike it declared last week across all public universities in the country. The union announced the suspension on Wednesday at a press conference held at its headquarters in Abuja. President of ASUU, Chris Piwuna, who read a prepared speech before newsmen, explained that the development followed intervention by the Senate and some other well-meaning Nigerians. However, he sad the National Executive Council of the Union resolved to give the government a one-month window to address all contending areas.
2 comments
Read more

JUST IN: If Tinubu Had Told Me, I Wouldn’t Have Agreed To Rivers State Of Emergency Rule – Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has stated that he would not have agreed with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu if he had discussed his move to declare a State of Emergency in Rivers State. Wike noted that he is not in conflict with the suspended Rivers State Governor,      Sim Fubara  He stressed his opposition on the State of Emergency rule, stating that only the President knows the right time to lift it. While speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, Wike remarked that Fubara has permitted himself to be manipulated by his adversaries to oppose him. The FCT Minister said: “ I made it clear that this impunity will not stand, so what is happening in PDP is what I call undertakers because I see no reason why you will put yourself under that kind of crisis. “I don’t have any crisis with him (Fubara). I’m not the President who declared a State of Emergency; if Mr President had called me, I wouldn’t have agreed to the State of Emergenc...
Post a Comment
Read more