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Heart surgery uses more precious donated red blood cells than almost any other procedure, but a major global study has confirmed that its safe for surgeons to use less

Our FUSE (Focused Ultrasound Simulation Education) courses have travelled internationally! In April this year A/Prof David Canty, from the Ultrasound Education Group, gave a lecture at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Simulation and Skills Centre, Hong Kong

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) has been widely used in many areas of medicine but has been slow to become integrated into the general management of pregnant women. The physiological and anatomical changes of pregnancy, as well as consumer preferences, make transthoracic echocardiography an ideal monitor for critically ill pregnant women.

Now a permanent fixture in the Centre for Excellence and Innovation in Anesthesia (CEIA), Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital (RBWH), the Brisbane Focused Ultrasound Simulator Education (FUSE) programs are now up and running as established training courses for doctors wanting specialized ultrasound training.

Simply this imaging technology is vastly superior to the current technology (stethoscope and clinical examination) and is also better in many circumstances than a chest x-ray which comes with the additional risk of a dose of radiation. It is very easy to learn and very rapid to perform. The ultrasound technology is becoming much more widely available and within a short space of time, the wider availability of pocket ultrasound machines will make this a practical reality.

Plans are underway to expand the Graduate Certificate, Diploma and Master of Clinical Ultrasound Award Courses to encompass more students of allied health disciplines such as physiotherapists, nurses, medical imaging professionals and perfusionists.

True disruption comes when technology changes the paradigm of medicine and new adopters emerge. A number of studies suggest use of ultrasound will change the diagnosis or management in up to 20-50% of cases. What has limited us in the past in medicine is the cost and size of new equipment; and who has access to it.

Assessment of the lung has traditionally been considered off-limits for ultrasound, because the presence of air and its high acoustic mismatch with surrounding tissues causes a complete reflection of the ultrasound beam and therefore an inability to create direct images of the pulmonary parenchyma.

Three members of the Ultrasound group were awarded prizes for best oral presentations during the Royal Melbourne Hospital Research Week.

Medicine graduates Professors Colin and Alistair Royse have taken a career pathway together armed with a big picture vision coupled with a practical approach.