British Olympic team take "ultrasound in backpack'' to winter
Olympics
17 February 2006
Torino,
Italy. The British Olympic team (Team GB) is taking the LOGIQ Book XP, the
world's smallest, full-function multi-purpose portable ultrasound unit, to
the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Produced by GE Healthcare, a division
of the General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), the ultrasound system will enable
Team GB doctors to better examine, diagnose and treat their 35 Olympians
with the help of ultrasound images of tendons, muscles and bones, common
injury areas of elite athletes.
This is the first time Team GB will benefit from having a dedicated
ultrasound system for their athletes at the site of competition. Dr. Richard
Budgett, chief medical officer for Team GB and a 1984 Olympic Gold medal
winner in men's coxless four, explained, "In the case of minor injuries,
ultrasound exams allow us to make an informed decision on whether the
athlete should rest to recover, train, or is still able to compete at
maximum capacity. In previous competitions, when we had a bobsledder with a
pulled hamstring, a skier with sharp knee pain, or an ice skater with a
twisted ankle, for example, we basically relied on our clinical skills or
gut feeling. Now, we can base our treatment on clinical and diagnostic
imaging fact."
At the last Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Team GB had a total
of 193 medical incidents, of which 13 were significant injuries. Half of
these were of a traumatic nature and required ultrasound. "At that time,
this meant going to a clinic or hospital, booking scan time, waiting for the
exam, performing the exam and then returning to the competition site —
basically a half day, at minimum, immobilized," said Dr. Budgett. "With our
new LOGIQ Book XP, the medical team can now scan injured athletes ourselves
on the spot and make quick and more accurate diagnosis of most of the
injuries we typically encounter. Today, a team physician without ultrasound
is like a general practitioner without a stethoscope."
GE's LOGIQ Book XP is perfectly suited to this year's event that is
spread across 200 square kilometers around the city of Torino. In addition
to its portability, it can also be used to transmit athlete images through
the Internet to allow real-time diagnosis from specialists who may be
anywhere in the world, and in this case, on call at the main hospital in
Torino. Dr. Budgett agrees, "Sometimes an injury will require a second
opinion or treatment at a specialized facility. With the LOGIQ Book XP, I
can send patient information to another doctor or center, perform an
ultrasound exam and have it viewed in real-time by another specialist, and
also have immediate access to the patient's previous ultrasounds that are
stored in the system's memory."
The Torino Games are the first Games at which the medical infrastructure
will be equipped with portable ultrasound. GE is partnering with the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) to enable fast, efficient diagnosis of
injuries at the point of play for all of the competing athletes by providing
six ultrasound systems to the polyclinics and surrounding hospitals in
Turin.
In addition to the LOGIQ Book XP, GE is providing a mobile MR scanner in
Sestriere, located one and a half hours away by car from Torino, and the
site of the downhill ski competitions. "It is very reassuring to know that
there will be such advanced medical technology so close to where our
athletes are competing," continued Dr. Budgett. "In serious trauma injuries,
the first so-called 'golden hour' is critical. We hope we won't need to use
these systems, but we're glad that they are there."
John Jeans, Country Manager, GE Healthcare UK, concluded, "Today, medals
are won with just a 10th of a second time difference. Every detail of an
athlete's training regime counts: exercise, sleep, diet, and above all,
medical surveillance. For GE Healthcare, the health of the athlete comes
first. We are pleased to bring GE ultrasound and MR technology to the
Olympic Winter Games and the LOGIQ Book XP to Team GB so that they can
achieve their best in Torino."
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