Point-of-Care Ultrasound Scanners: Key Purchasing Considerations

​Point-of-care (POC) ultrasound refers to ultrasound exams performed by the treating clinician and other non-imaging-specialist healthcare professionals. While many types of ultrasound scanners can be purchased for POC exams—including a full-featured cart-based system costing more than $100,000—several vendors now market scanners that are specifically intended for POC applications.

In addition to user preference and image quality, the major purchasing considerations are:

The specific clinical applications (i.e., the types of imaging procedures the scanner will be used for) will dictate its base configuration. The configuration choices include the imaging modes available, the image display and analysis software, and the transducers. For example, a scanner configured for use in labor and delivery would need an obstetrical calculation package and a low-frequency curved linear-array transducer suitable...