May 3, 2010 – A point-of-care ultrasound system for use by emergency medical services (EMS) is being developed in collaboration between SonoSite Inc. and Physio-Control Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, the Physio-Control sales organization will assist in introducing SonoSite’s products to the EMS market.
The implementation of SonoSite’s hand-carried ultrasound systems allows first responders to bring improved care and immediate diagnostics directly to the point of patient care. With the ability to quickly assess, diagnose and triage patients at the scene, medical personnel in first response vehicles such as ambulances and helicopters will be able to prenotify hospitals of a patient’s arrival, which could lead to improved clinical outcomes.
One of the first physicians to integrate ultrasound into first responder vehicles, Dave Spear, M.D., EMS medical director, Odessa, Texas, said, “Working for the Odessa Fire Department, I have spent the last 10 years training paramedics on how to use ultrasound in the prehospital setting. SonoSite’s systems are incredibly simple to use, portable, durable and have truly changed the dynamic in which first responders can diagnose a patient at the point-of-care. Quickly, paramedics can scan a patient for internal bleeding, and then determine whether they need to call the surgeon to head into the local trauma center. SonoSite has placed valuable technology in the hands of EMS providers and as a result, they have brought major benefits to patients at the point-of-care.”
“I believe that within the next three to five years ultrasound will become a standard for delivering better patient care in the prehospital emergency setting,” said David Hildebrandt, NREMT-P, CCEMT-P, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis.
Physio-Control believes ultrasound may be the next clinical advancement with positive patient care impact in EMS.
For more information: www.sonosite.com, www.physio-control.com
May 27, 2025 
