The Sonosite M-Turbo, despite being nearly a decade and a half old, remains one of the most reliable and popular portable ultrasound machines on the market. While many employ the M-Turbo for needle-guided injections, vascular access, MSK, and small parts imaging; Sonosite also manufactures specialty M-Turbos for OB-GYN and cardiac imaging.
Applications:
The M-Turbo is compatible with a wide variety of ultrasound probes, indicating how versatile the unit can be. Sonosite manufactures specialty variations of the M-Turbo for specific applications.
For example, the M-Turbo OB-GYN has special women’s health applications, is compatible with the ICTx vaginal probe, the C60x abdominal probe, but will not usually accept the cardiac transducers.
The MSK M-Turbo, similarly, will take all four variations of the linear transducers; the L25x, L38x, HFL38x, and HFL50x. These probes all submit different frequency ranges depending on how superficial the image that the sonographer / doctor needs to get. Despite the versatility in linear probes, this unit will usually not be compatible with the ICTx vaginal probe. These units are beloved by sports medicine doctors, vascular surgeons, plastic surgeons, and more.
The standard M-Turbo is capable of having any option enabled for standard ultrasounds; abdominal, obstetrics, vascular and other small parts. Additionally, it could be used for cardiac studies, pediatric ultrasounds, veterinary ultrasounds, and women’s health imaging.
Probes and Compatibility
Generally speaking, Sonosite made each probe compatible with only one or two specific units. The C60 probe, for example, is only compatible with the Titan or 180 Plus. When it comes to the M-Turbo, however, some of the probes can be used for several generations of systems.
The HFL50x, one of the most popular probes on the market, boasting a frequency range of 6-15 MHz, also has a wide lens, allowing the system to capture a greater quality picture than most other transducers. It’s compatible with several generations of Sonosite units, from the M-Turbo to the Edge, to the Edge II, S-Nerve, and SII.
Another case is the ICTx vaginal transducer. This probe is compatible with the same variety of units as the HFL50x, but this is due to Sonosite’s general step-back from OB-GYN imaging. As the company has progressed, the units have specialized in vascular and cardiac applications, rather then women’s health imaging.
Price, Parts, Availability:
As of this publishing, the M-Turbo can be found available refurbished for anywhere between $5,000 to $8,500 for the box, depending on the age, options activated, and age of the system. Length of warranty also factors into pricing. Even though this unit is relatively old, parts are very easy to come by in the market, and are easy to source, stock, and use for repairs.
There is always the concern, particularly when it comes to medical equipment, regarding the safety of the devices and the potential side effects that occur as a result of employing these machines.
It is important to know that ultrasound machines are known to be completely harmless. They function through the utilization of sound waves emitting from the probe or transducer. These sound waves are then translated into images by the ultrasound machine or system. There is no need to fear when using ultrasound machines – it is a quick, easy and efficient way to diagnose and help determine a patient’s ails.
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