November 30, 2020 — The Clarius PA HD hand-held, wireless ultrasound scanner is now available for high resolution cardiac imaging with the release of the Clarius Ultrasound App 7.3 for iOS and Android smart devices. Compact and without wires to keep clean, Clarius PA HD ultrasound speeds disinfection and enables physicians to quickly triage and monitor COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) patients.
The demand for handheld ultrasound scanners has been highlighted during the global pandemic, explained Zachary Laksman, M.D., MSc, cardiologist and heart rhythm specialist, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, University of British Columbia and St. Paul's Hospitals. "Portable bedside imaging has become an incredibly important part of my cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology practice. I have increasingly relied on my wireless Clarius scanner both in my office practice, on the hospital wards and in the peri-operative unit," Laksman said.
This year, the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) also recognized the value and prevalence of POCUS. In the ASE Statement on Point-of-Care Ultrasound during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Pandemic, the society notes, "The rapid, bedside assessment of the heart, chest, and vessels using point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has propelled this tool to the front lines of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. POCUS is usually conducted by the treating provider to obtain real-time information for management decisions."
"I have been exceedingly impressed with the Clarius Phased Array Scanner and had the opportunity to trial the most recent software update (7.3). The image quality has always been truly outstanding, and now the platform is more intuitive and responsive," Laksman said. "From trainee and patient education, to acute and chronic care settings, including peri-operative patient management, the Clarius scanner has exceeded expectations and provided new opportunities to improve care under the most difficult circumstances."
In addition to excellent cardiac and lung imaging, the Clarius PA HD is suitable for FAST exams, superficial and transcranial imaging. Its no-subscription pricing includes unlimited cloud storage and image management for unlimited users, a 3-year warranty and forever-free software updates.
"Since the start of the pandemic, more physicians than ever are using handheld scanners for cardiac and lung exams because they are simple to carry from one isolated room to another. Our wireless scanners have the added advantage that they are easy to disinfect," said Clarius CEO Laurent Pelissier. "Our goal is to equip cardiac specialists with a handheld system that will serve them well during the pandemic and beyond by providing outstanding image quality in a compact form without wires."
Reimbursements for cardiac ultrasound exams are available in the United States to help offset the cost of ultrasound systems. Plans vary by state and provider. A guide to reimbursements is available at http://clarius.com/cpt.
To support billing and reports, Clarius scanners come with free access to the HIPPA-compliant Clarius Cloud, which has a built-in, customizable PDF tool, making it easy to print, archive and share professional reports. Users save images on their device or the cloud. An option to connect to any DICOM-compliant server is also available.
More than 750,000 scans have been performed by 27,000 users since Clarius introduced its first portable scanner in 2016. Clarius scanners are available in more than 50 countries, with the new Clarius HD available now in the United States, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea with other countries to follow.
For more information www.clarius.com