Line of sight

A new device, called a “sonic flashlight,” offers a more efficient method of ultrasound guidance to place catheters in patients that will be used for repeated doses of chemotherapy or other treatments, a preliminary study shows.

Ultrasound can be used to help guide catheters, such as peripherally inserted central catheters, into place, said Wilson Chang, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh and the lead author of the study.

The difficulty occurs because the physician or nurse inserting the catheter has to look away from the patient to see the ultrasound monitor, he said. On the other hand, the sonic flashlight - which is an ultrasound probe with a two-inch monitor and a semi-transparent mirror - puts everything in front of the physician or nurse.

The probe is placed on the area of the body where the catheter will be inserted. The monitor on the probe shows the ultrasound image, and the mirror makes the ultrasound images appear as if they are actually under the skin, said Dr. Chang.