From the June 2011 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Adverse events resulting from blind insertions of central lines also pose another financial hazard: expensive litigation. An analysis by the American Society of Anesthesiology found that the median malpractice payment for central venous catheter-related claims was $105,500, with multi-million dollar payments reported for certain catheter injuries, such as cardiac tamponade, hemothorax, and blood vessel injury.
Over the past five years, use of ultrasound guidance has expanded significantly in anesthesiology, where even for experienced anesthesiologists, injecting regional anesthesia blindly is challenging, creating a risk of injuries to adjacent structures. While nerve stimulation offers a reliable method of locating the correct nerve, it can be a time-consuming process of trial and error, as various nerves are tested. Ultrasound offers a safe, cost-efficient and speedier solution.
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David Willis is Vice President, Innovation and Competitive Strategy at SonoSite, Inc. in Bothell, Washington. He was also a sonographer at the Health Sciences Center in Winnipeg, Canada and is a registered medical sonographer (RDMS, RDCS). He completed the Executive Education Program at the Wharton School of Business.
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