Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jun;33(6):654-657.
doi: 10.1016/j.echo.2020.04.014. Epub 2020 Apr 11.

Specific Considerations for Sonographers When Performing Echocardiography during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak: Supplement to the American Society of Echocardiography Statement

Carol Mitchell  1 , Keith Collins  2 , Lanqi Hua  3 , Carlene McClanahan  3 , Elaine Shea  4 , Matthew Umland  5 , Melissa Wasserman  6
Affiliations
Review

Specific Considerations for Sonographers When Performing Echocardiography during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak: Supplement to the American Society of Echocardiography Statement

Carol Mitchell et al. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2020 Jun.

Abstract

Sonographers need to be familiar with and prepared to implement strategies for reducing the risk of exposure to and transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Strategies to employ can be grouped into three broad categories: (1) whom to scan, (2) where to scan, and (3) how to scan. Whom to scan addresses sonographer strategies for determining essential and emergent scan status. Where to scan addresses sonographer practice strategies for selecting equipment, use of rooms, portable examinations, and training personnel. How to scan addresses the topics of scanning techniques (tailored protocols, right-handed scanning, use of barrier devices) and equipment cleaning and disinfecting.

Keywords: ASE; COVID-19; Protection; Sonographer.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Draped ultrasound system. (B) Draped transducer. (C) Draped handheld system.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Barrier example used between the patient and the sonographer., , , This is a posed photograph demonstrating the barrier technique and how the sonographer's arm can maneuver under the barrier shield. If this were a real situation, the sonographer would be wearing appropriate PPE.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kirkpatrick J.N., Mitchell C., Taub C., Kort S., Hung J., Swaminathan M. ASE statement on protection of patients and echocardiography service providers during the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2020;33:648–653. - PMC - PubMed
    1. American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine Guidelines for cleaning and preparing external- and internal-use ultrasound transducers and equipment between patients as well as safe handling and use of ultrasound coupling gel. https://www.aium.org/officialStatements/57 Available at: - PubMed
    1. American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine Quick guide on COVID-19 protections—patient and ultrasound provider protection. https://aium.s3.amazonaws.com/covid19/Covid19_Quick_Guide_PUPP.pdf Available at.
    1. Society of Vascular Ultrasound Vascular laboratory responses during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.svu.org/svu-news/4183/ Available at:
    1. Driggin E., Madhavan M.V., Bikdeli B., Chuich T., Laracy J., Bondi-Zoccai G. Cardiovascular considerations for patients, health care workers, and health systems during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020 doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2020.03.031. - DOI - PMC - PubMed