Ultrasound-guided needle handling using a guidance positioning system in a phantom

Area of Science:

• Medical Devices
• Ultrasound Technology
• Surgical Navigation

Background:

• Ultrasound-guided procedures are crucial in medical interventions.
• Minimizing tissue manipulation is key for patient comfort and safety.
• Needle handling during ultrasound guidance can be challenging for inexperienced practitioners.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the SonixGPS™ needle guidance positioning system.
• To assess the impact of navigation assistance on needle handling during ultrasound-guided tasks.
• To compare procedural outcomes with and without the SonixGPS™ system in a simulated environment.

Main Methods:

• Twenty inexperienced nurse anesthetists performed ultrasound-guided tasks in a porcine phantom.
• Tasks involved needle insertion using both in-plane and out-of-plane approaches at varying depths.
• Performance was compared with and without the SonixGPS™ navigation system using paired observations.

Main Results:

• The SonixGPS™ system significantly reduced execution times and needle repositionings in the out-of-plane approach (p=0.01 and p=0.001, respectively).
• Needle visibility during execution time was significantly higher with navigation in the in-plane approach (p=0.0025).
• Improved needle visibility correlated with shorter execution times and fewer needle repositionings.

Conclusions:

• The SonixGPS™ needle guidance positioning system enhances ultrasound-guided procedures.
• Navigation assistance can lead to reduced tissue manipulation, potentially improving patient comfort and safety.
• Integrating navigation systems with ultrasound guidance offers a promising approach for medical training and practice.