Re:Butterfly raises $250M for portable full-body ultrasound ...
by pragone on Sunday September 30, 2018 @04:45PM
(#18108310)
Well, point of care ultrasound (which is what the butterfly is for) can often lead to formal ultrasonography to be read by a radiologist. However, it can increase time to initial treatment, and depending on the level of skill of the user can sometimes prevent the need for formal ultrasound, but not always.
Re:Butterfly raises $250M for portable full-body ultrasound ...
by car on Sunday September 30, 2018 @04:43PM
(#18108294)
The Butterfly Networks US requires a $39/mo. subscription for the cloud data storage, at least for the first year. Not sure after that.
Re:Butterfly raises $250M for portable full-body ultrasound ...
by walshemj on Sunday September 30, 2018 @04:04PM
(#18108082)
True enough but would your GP have the specialist knowledge for all possible uses of ultrasound is the real issue.
Re:Butterfly raises $250M for portable full-body ultrasound ...
by JohnWatsman on Sunday September 30, 2018 @04:34PM
(#18108247)
They are also lowering the bar for knowledge required to successfully operate the probe:
"Computer vision algorithms ingest footage from the handset’s camera and detect the probe’s location in real time, directing users through augmented reality (AR) prompts precisely where to position it. (Butterfly calls it “Tele-Guidance”.)"
At $2,000 this is a lot cheaper which will hopefully drive wider deployment.
Even in more developed countries, wider-scale use of imaging would be amazing: primary care being able to directly use ultrasound without referral to a specialist, and with smart image analysis, could cut diagnosis times significantly. In my case I waited 3 weeks for an US appointment on the NHS and that could have been avoided entirely.