Introduction:
AME Ultrasounds has recently made strives to increase the variety of equipment that we provide to you, our beloved customers. Adding Bone Densitometers, Patient Monitors, Defibrillators and EKG machines to our inventory, we quickly realized it would be of great benefit to continue publishing educational blogs to teach you a bit more about the new equipment available. One of our most popular systems, the GE Achilles portable bone densitometer, is going to be the first subject of many new blog posts coming to you.
Bone Densitometers:
When one thinks of “Bone Densitometers”, one often, and rightfully, envisions a massive machine, costing well over $10,000, to be used for body fat analysis, spine analysis, femur analysis, and occasionally, bone structure examinations for the whole body. There are, however, other niche systems manufactured for specific applications: The Schick AccuDEXA, for example, is a portable box shaped system that is designed specifically as a hand and finger scanner. It is significantly more affordable, and is a distinct system that can be employed by specialists, rather than taking a tremendous amount of space and money to utilize a full-body system.
The GE Achilles is another speciality system that is specifically engineered, not for the whole body, but for foot scans specifically. In the rest of this article, we’ll delve into what the Achilles is used for, the models available, how to use them, and other important features to know.
Achilles Applications:
There are many applications that a variety of facilities use the achilles for. Whether it’s Nursing / Assisted Living Homes, Rehabilitation Facilities, Hospitals, or Private Practices (generally Podiatrists) - this system can be utilized in almost any health facility.
The GE Achilles is primarily used for three applications:
- To detect fractures in one’s foot
- To examine a patient for osteoporosis
- To discover early stages of osteopenia.
In Nursing / Assisted Living Homes, it is mostly employed to detect osteoporosis and discover potential fractures in delicate bones. For Rehabilitation Facilities, it is used to identify fractures and other potential obstacles that must be mitigated.
How It Works:
The Achilles is engineered to be incredibly easy to use. Each system includes a flip up cover for one to rest a patient’s leg, allowing the patient’s ankle and foot to slide smoothly into the designated crevice so that the ultrasound exam may proceed. Once the patient’s age, gender and foot (left or right) is entered into the system, two ultrasound phantoms slide from either side of the patient’s foot and take a quick scan. The results are then displayed on the touch screen monitor, and can be printed using the built-in thermal printer that the Achilles is equipped with.
The patient cannot be wearing socks or any outerwear over his or her foot. Generally, the foot is lubricated (either with a special formula, or water with a little alcohol mixed in), in order to allow the ultrasound to run the test effectively. In order to conduct the exam, nothing more is required than the push of a few buttons and sliding one’s foot into the crevice in the Achilles.
The Models:
As of now, AME carries three types of Achilles bone densitometers:
- The Achilles Express
- The Achilles InSight
- The Achilles XPII
The first two models, the Achilles Express and Achilles InSight, are very similar systems, while the Achilles XPII is GE’s newest and most advanced unit.
At A.M.E. Ultrasounds we pride ourselves on providing top quality customer service. If you have a particular topic you’d be interested in learning more about or reading about, feel free to contact us!
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Sincerely,
Your team at A.M.E. Ultrasounds
Ephraim@ameultrasounds.com
