UNASSIGNED: Ultrasound diagnosis and treatment is easy to perform and takes little time. It is widely used in clinical practice thanks to its non-invasive, real-time, and dynamic characteristics. In the process of ultrasound diagnosis and treatment, the probe may come into contact with the skin, the mucous membranes, and even the sterile parts of the body. However, it is difficult to achieve effective real-time disinfection of the probes after use and the probes are often reused, leading to the possibility of the probes carrying multiple pathogenic bacteria. At present, the processing methods for probes at home and abroad mainly include probe cleaning, probe disinfection, and physical isolation (using probe covers or sheaths). Yet, each approach has its limitations and cannot completely prevent probe contamination and infections caused by ultrasound diagnosis and treatment. For example, when condoms are used as the probe sheath, the rate of condom breakage is relatively high. The cutting and fixing of cling film or freezer bags involves complicated procedures and is difficult to perform. Disposable plastic gloves are prone to falling off and causing contamination and are hence not in compliance with the principles of sterility. Furthermore, the imaging effect of disposable plastic gloves is poor. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore new materials to make probe covers that can not only wrap tightly around the ultrasound probe, but also help achieve effective protection and rapid reuse. Based on the concept of physical barriers, we developed in this study a heat sealing system for the rapid reuse of ultrasound probes. The system uses a heat sealing device to shrink the protective film so that it wraps tightly against the surface of the ultrasound probe, allowing for the rapid reuse of the probe while reducing the risk of nosocomial infections. The purpose of this study is to design a heat sealing system for the rapid reuse of ultrasound probes and to verify its application effect on the rapid reuse of ultrasound probes.
UNASSIGNED: 1) The heat sealing system for the rapid reuse of ultrasound probes was designed and tested by integrating medical and engineering methods. The system included a protective film (a multilayer co-extruded polyolefin thermal shrinkable film) and a heat sealing device, which included heating wire components, a blower, a photoelectric switch, temperature sensors, a control and drive circuit board, etc. According to the principle of thermal shrinkage, the ultrasound probe equipped with thermal shrinkable film was rapidly heated and the film would wrap closely around the ultrasound probe placed on the top of the heat sealing machine. The ultrasound probe was ready for use after the thermal shrinkage process finished. Temperature sensors were installed on the surface of the probe to test the thermal insulation performance of the system. The operation procedures of the system are as follows: placing the ultrasound probe covered with the protective film in a certain space above the protective air vent, which is detected by the photoelectric switch; the heating device heats the thermal shrinkable film with a constant flow of hot air at a set temperature value. Then, the probe is rotated so that the thermal shrinkable film will quickly wrap around the ultrasound probe. After the heat shrinking is completed, the probe can be used directly. 2) Using the convenience sampling method, 90 patients from the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi\'an Jiaotong University were included as the research subjects. All patients were going to undergo arterial puncture under ultrasound guidance. The subjects were divided into 3 groups, with 30 patients in each group. Three measures commonly applied in clinical practice were used to process the probes in the three groups and water-soluble fluorescent labeling was applied around the puncture site before use. In the experimental group, the probes were processed with the heat sealing system. The standard operating procedures of the heat sealing system for rapid reuse of ultrasonic probes were performed to cover the ultrasonic probe and form a physical barrier to prevent probe contamination. There were two control groups. In control group 1, disinfection wipes containing double-chain quaternary ammonium salt were used to repeatedly wipe the surface of the probe for 10-15 times, and then the probe was ready for use once it dried up. In the control group 2, a disposable protective sheath was used to cover the front end of the probe and the handle end of the sheath was tied up with threads. Comparison of the water-soluble fluorescent labeling on the surface of the probe (which reflected the colony residues on the surface of the probe) before and after use and the reuse time (i.e., the lapse of time from the end of the first use to the beginning of the second use) were made between the experimental group and the two control groups.
UNASSIGNED: 1) The temperature inside the ultrasound probe was below 40 ℃ and the heat sealing system for rapid reuse did not affect the performance of the ultrasound probe. 2) The reuse time in the heat sealing system group, as represented by (median [P25, P75]), was (8.00 [7.00, 10.00]) s, which was significantly lower than those of the disinfection wipe group at (95.50 [8.00, 214.00]) s and the protective sleeve group at (25.00 [8.00, 51.00]) s, with the differences being statistically significant (P<0.05). No fluorescence residue was found on the probe in either the heat sealing system group or the protective sheath group after use. The fluorescence residue in the heat sealing system group was significantly lower than that in the disinfection wipes group, showing statistically significant differences (χ 2=45.882, P<0.05).
UNASSIGNED: The thermal shrinkable film designed and developed in this study can be cut and trimmed according to the size of the equipment. When the film is heated, it shrinks and wraps tightly around the equipment, forming a sturdy protective layer. With the heat sealing system for rapid reuse of ultrasonic probes, we have realized the semi-automatic connection between the thermal shrinkable film and the heating device, reducing the amount of time-consuming and complicated manual operation. Furthermore, the average reuse time is shortened and the system is easy to use, which contributes to improvements in the reuse and operation efficiency of ultrasound probes. The heat sealing system reduces colony residues on the surface of the probe and forms an effective physical barrier on the probe. No probes were damaged in the study. The heat sealing system for rapid reuse of ultrasonic probes can be used as a new method to process the ultrasonic probes.

In this study, an efficient preconcentration method was presented that is based on dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction taking the advantage of newly synthesized phosphonium deep eutectic solvents used as extractants and ultrasound probe as a dispersing agent. The extracts obtained were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. To optimize the five most important factors for the microextraction procedure a central composite design plan was used. Under optimal conditions (140 μl of extractant, 60 mg of NaCl, pH = 2.0, 120 s of extraction time with ultrasound probe as the dispersing agent, 16 min of centrifugation for phase separation), the proposed method allowed to achieve good precision with RSD between 3.2% and 9.7% at 1.0, 5.0 and 40.0 ng ml levels. The preconcentration factors were equal to 42, 39, and 41, and the limits of detection 0.128, 0.103, and 0.135 ng/ml for dicamba, 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid, and 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxypropionic acid, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of chlorophenoxy acid herbicides in water samples from drainage ditches with a good recovery in the range of 70%-93%.

The intensity of backscattered ultrasound signal from heart muscle is known to be related to the angle between cardiac fibers and the insonification direction. In this work, a GPU-based method of simulating three-dimensional (3D) echocardiographic images from an empirically derived angle-to-backscatter relationship is developed and validated. Images of a rotating fiber phantom are simulated, and it is validated that the angle-to-backscatter relationship is accurately reflected by the simulated envelope data. In a second experiment, echocardiography images are simulated from a diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI) volume of a canine heart to demonstrate that the method produces view-dependent speckle. 3D volumes of a parametrically generated ideal left ventricle phantom are also simulated and processed into fiber orientation maps using the underlying quantitative parameters. Images are simulated based on the characteristics of a 35-by-32 two-dimensional (2D) matrix array probe and a clinical one-dimensional (1D) phased array probe. The processed fiber volumes exhibit good agreement with the virtual phantom\'s ground truth, having an average acute angle error (AAE) of less than 10 degrees for both probes. The simulation method is fast and opens a new approach for ultrasound fiber imaging.

We propose an integrated front-end data acquisition circuit for a hybrid ultrasound (US)-gamma probe. The proposed circuit consists of three main parts: (1) a preamplifier for the gamma probe, (2) a preprocessing analog circuit for the US, and (3) a digitally controlled analog switch. By exploiting the long idle time of the US system, an analog switch can be used to acquire data of both systems using a single output channel simultaneously. On the nuclear medicine (NM) gamma probe side, energy resolutions of 18.4% and 17.5% were acquired with the standalone system and with the proposed switching circuit, respectively, when irradiated with a Co-57 radiation source. Similarly, signal-to-noise ratios of 14.89 and 13.12 dB were achieved when US echo signals were acquired with the standalone system and with the proposed switching circuit, respectively. Lastly, a combined US-gamma probe was used to scan a glass target and a sealed radiation source placed in a water tank. The results confirmed that, by using a hybrid US-gamma probe system, it is possible to distinguish between the two objects and acquire structural information (ultrasound) alongside molecular information (gamma radiation source).

Traditional hand-held ultrasound probe has some limitations in prostate biopsy. Improving the localization and accuracy of ultrasound probe will increase the detection rate of prostate cancer while biopsy techniques remain unchanged. This paper designs a manipulator for transrectal ultrasound probe, which assists doctors in performing prostate biopsy and improves the efficiency and accuracy of biopsy procedure. The ultrasound probe manipulator includes a position adjustment module that can lock four joints at the same time. It reduces operating time and improves the stability of the mechanism. We use the attitude adjustment module designed by double parallelogram RCM mechanism, the ultrasound probe can realize centering and prevent its radial motion. The self-weight balance design helps doctors operate ultrasound probe without weight. Using MATLAB to analyze the manipulator, the results show that the workspace of the mechanism can meet the biopsy requirements. And simulate the centering effect of the ultrasound probe when the attitude is adjusted at different feeding distances, the results show that the ultrasound probe is centering stability. Finally, the centering and joint interlocking tests of the physical prototype are completed. In this paper, a 7-DOF manipulator for transrectal ultrasound probe is designed. The mechanism is analyzed for kinematics, workspace analysis, simulation of centering effects, development of a physical prototype and related experimental research. The results show that the surgical demand workspace is located inside the reachable workspace of the mechanism and the joint locking of the manipulator is reliable.

Ultrasound guidance for epidural block has improved clinical blind-trial problems but the design of present ultrasonic probes poses operating difficulty of ultrasound-guided catheterization, increasing the failure rate. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel ultrasonic probe to avoid needle contact with vertebral bone during epidural catheterization. The probe has a central circular passage for needle insertion. Two focused annular transducers are deployed around the passage for on-axis guidance. A 17-gauge insulated Tuohy needle containing the self-developed fiber-optic-modified stylet was inserted into the back of the anesthetized pig, in the lumbar region under the guidance of our ultrasonic probe. The inner transducer of the probe detected the shallow echo signals of the peak-peak amplitude of 2.8 V over L3 at the depth of 2.4 cm, and the amplitude was decreased to 0.8 V directly over the L3 to L4 interspace. The outer transducer could detect the echoes from the deeper bone at the depth of 4.5 cm, which did not appear for the inner transducer. The operator tilted the probe slightly in left-right and cranial-caudal directions until the echoes at the depth of 4.5 cm disappeared, and the epidural needle was inserted through the central passage of the probe. The needle was advanced and stopped when the epidural space was identified by optical technique. The needle passed without bone contact. Designs of the hollow probe for needle pass and dual transducers with different focal lengths for detection of shallow and deep vertebrae may benefit operation, bone/nonbone identification, and cost.

A fast ultrasound-assisted sequential extraction (UASE) procedure for the determination of cadmium, lead and nickel fractions in soil was developed and fully validated. The working parameters of an ultrasound probe were optimized by comparing the content of metals in soil extracts obtained by the UASE procedure with that obtained by the conventional (with the aid of a vertical rotor) modified Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) procedure. The content of metals in soil fractions was determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The total time of extraction of metals from soil was shorten from 48 h to 27 min (total sonication time). The trueness of the developed method was confirmed by analysis of the certified reference material BCR-701. In order to indicate critical points of the developed UASE method, uncertainties of fractionation results were calculated and compared with those calculated for conventional modified BCR procedure. The method usefulness was tested for the determination of metal fractions in different types of soil collected in the Podlasie Province (Poland). The proposed procedure could be used for fast screening of mobile fractions of several heavy metals in soil.

OBJECTIVE: To determine suitable procedures for decontaminating ultrasound probes.
METHODS: We investigated bacterial transmission via ultrasound probes that were not wiped, wiped with a plain paper towel, or wiped with an ethanol-soaked paper towel.
RESULTS: The unwiped probes transmitted large numbers of bacteria, which were markedly reduced by wiping the probes with a plain paper towel, and almost completely eliminated by wiping with an ethanol-soaked paper towel.
CONCLUSIONS: Improperly decontaminated ultrasound probes can transmit bacteria among patients. Ultrasound probes should be decontaminated by wiping with a paper towel after examinations to prevent bacterial transmission. Plain or ethanol-soaked paper towels should be used depending on the situation.

OBJECTIVE: To determine suitable methods for evaluating bacterial contamination of ultrasound probes.
METHODS: We compared probe imprinting, swab streaking, and swab suspension methods for evaluating bacterial contamination of ultrasound probes.
RESULTS: Experimental and clinical investigations showed that the sensitivity for detecting bacterial contamination of ultrasound probes was higher with probe imprinting than with swab methods. Probe imprinting was very simple and required only agar plates.
CONCLUSIONS: Probe imprinting was the most suitable method for evaluating bacterial contamination of ultrasound probes.

Point-of-care ultrasound (US) has become a cornerstone in the diagnosis and treatment of patients in the emergency department (ED). Despite the beneficial impact on patient care, concern exists over repeat use of probes and the role as a vector for pathogen transmission. US probes are used for various applications, with the level of infection risk, based on the Spaulding Classification, ranging from noncritical with common practice to semicritical with endocavitary probes. To date, the most closely studied organisms are Staphylococcus aureus and human papilloma virus. Current evidence does confirm probe colonization but has not established a causative role in human infection. Based on current literature, US use during invasive procedures remains an infection control concern, but routine use on intact skin does not appear to cause significant risk to patients. Various barrier methods are available, each with indications based on extent of procedure and likelihood of contact with mucosal surfaces. Additionally, chemical cleansing methods have been shown to be effective in limiting probe contamination after use. New technologies utilizing ultraviolet light are available and effective but not widely used in the ED setting. As our understanding of the critical factors in US probe cleaning and disinfection improves, it is important to assess the challenges found in our current practice and to identify potential solutions to improve practices and procedures in infection control across the spectrum of US probe use in various applications in the ED. This article serves as a summary of the current literature available on infection control topics with the utilization of point-of-care US, and discusses challenges and potential solutions to improve the current practice of probe-related infection control.