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Challenge Question Number 1 for Cardiac Ultrasound Clinical Instructor #1070

 Related Subject(s):
Biology
Chemistry
Health
Science
 Related Soft Skill(s):
Analyzing Information
Decision Making
Reasoning
Describe a typical "challenge" encountered in your work:
A sonographer has many responsibilities, as a professional, to provide not only the best care for the patient, but also to provide the physician with the MOST information possible. This is critical in order for the patient's physician to diagnose any abnormalities and manage the treatment appropriately.

The first step that a sonographer must take in order to provide an adequate exam is selecting the appropriate transducer. The transducer is the object that the sonographer uses to come in contact with the patient's body and acquire the necessary images. The transducer is connected to the machine by a cable and each transducer is different. The differences between the transducers are the method in which the image is acquired (a square-shape or a pie-shape) and the frequency of the sound waves being emitted.

The frequency of the transducer determines two things:

1) the penetration of the beam (How far will it look into the body?)

2) the resolution of the image (How clearly will the structures be seen?). The unfortunate aspect is that a sonographer cannot have both of these fully. Therefore, the sonographer must know which transducer to select in order to obtain the clearest information.

Penetration vs. Resolution:

Higher frequencies (8MHz) provide clearer images, but will not penetrate as far into the body as the lower frequencies (2MHz). Example: A 2MHz transducer will penetrate farther than an 8MHz, but the 8MHz transducer will have a clearer image than the 2MHz transducer.

The ultimate goal for a sonographer is to use the highest frequency transducer possible (clearest image) that will penetrate to the object (anatomical part) of interest. Sometimes this means that a lower frequency transducer may be required simply to get the beam as far into the body as needed.

Factors that may affect the required penetration:

1) Location of the anatomical part- underneath the surface of the skin (less penetration) vs. in the middle of the body, near the spine (more penetration)

2) Patient size- 8 year-old child (less penetration) vs. a 40 year-old adult (more penetration)



Clearly describe what you expect from the students:
Select a transducer for the following exams.

1) An 8 year-old boy feels an unusual lump on his arm. His doctor wants to know what this lump looks like with ultrasound. Would you select the 8MHz transducer or the 2MHz transducer?

2) A 40 year-old woman has pain in her abdomen (belly) about 30 minutes after she eats. Her doctor wants to know if she has any stones in her gallbladder. Her gallbladder is under her right rib cage in the middle of her abdomen. Would you select the 8MHz transducer or the 2MHz transducer?



In order to give the teacher some guidance in evaluating the student's project(s); list some tips that may help to assess the student's work:
Did students use the information that was provided in the Challenge description?




 
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