School of Medicine helps test new ultrasound device

By Chris Horn

Researchers at the University's School of Medicine are helping test a newly patented device that could reduce the risk of complications in a common medical procedure.

Mike Yost, an assistant professor and biomedical engineer in the Department of Surgery, is working with Emergency Department physician Stephen Ridley to conduct tests on a handheld ultrasound device intended to simplify central venous access. Ridley, chief of emergency medicine for Palmetto Baptist, invented the instrument after years of watching other physicians struggle with traditional methods of accessing large veins for drug delivery. With the help of his partner, M. Dexter Hagy of Greenville, the design has been refined over the past three years.

Ridley's device must undergo rigorous testing before it can receive final approval from the Food and Drug Administration. He is collaborating with the School of Medicine to conduct the necessary tests, which could be completed as soon as this year.

"Putting in a central venous line is not an easy thing to do, and doing it incorrectly can lead to life-threatening complications and patient discomfort," said Ridley, a 2001 School of Medicine graduate. "This new device makes correct needle placement a point-and-shoot procedure -- it takes out the guesswork."

Physicians insert central venous lines in patients who need intravenous fluids and drugs for treatment. Current methods involve holding an ultrasound instrument in one hand while holding a large needle in the other. Watching a diagnostic screen, the physician must coordinate the needle placement into a narrow vein while avoiding damage to nearby arteries.

Ridley's device improves upon that method with a patented, needle-sized hole in the center of a small ultrasound transducer that allows the user to more accurately and easily place the needle in the vein once the vein is located with the ultrasound.

"It gives the physician total confidence in accessing the target vessel, eliminates re-sticks, and decreases the risk of infection," Ridley said.

In addition to central venous access, the device could also be used for breast biopsies, abscess drainage, lumbar punctures, and other procedures that involve precise placement of large needles.

USC's School of Medicine was one of the nation's first medical schools to implement a curriculum that emphasizes the use of handheld ultrasound equipment for bedside diagnosis. Ridley's instrument, which makes use of ultrasound technology, is a good example of how that technology is improving common medical procedures, Yost said.

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