Ultrasound: Deploying the Physics of Sound Waves in Medicine

Ultrasound is based on echolocation—the physics of deploying high-frequency sound waves and composing dimensional images from returning echoes. Examples of ultrasound physics can be found in nature; bats use it and whales deploy it. An ultrasound machine transmits high-frequency sound via a transducer pressed in direct contact with the skin. 

The transmitted sound waves pass through the skin, cross the biological boundaries between tissues of different densities, and are finally reflected back to the transducer. The transducer receives reflected waves and assembles the echoes and the electric current they generate into a composite two-dimensional image(4)

Medicine has long sought a low-cost, real-time, and safe method to visualize the human body, and ultrasound is considered a game-changer. In fact, some clinicians have deemed it ‘the new stethoscope.’ 

Today, point-of-care ultrasound represents a standard diagnostic modality in medical spaces like cardiology, nephrology, maternal care, emergency medicine, and more. Clinicians deploy it to peer beneath the skin, track blood flow patterns, understand pathological changes in organ systems, and investigate the integrity of bones, tendons, and muscles.

Key Takeaways:

  • In modern medicine today, ultrasound modalities are re-imagining imaging for diagnostics and patient monitoring purposes.
  • Although in resource-restrained climes like low and medium-income countries, ultrasound still suffers low adoption and use due to inadequate POCUS education, limited ultrasound installations, and outdated equipment.
  • Low adoption numbers open up a wide gap between innovative ultrasound research and clinical practice; downsides include poor patient outcomes and inaccurate diagnosis.
  • Kosmos EDU, a free POCUS education application, offers clinicians an AI-driven ultrasound learning experience designed to make both the basics and advanced features of ultrasound operation available in a non-clinical setting
  • Building on Kosmos EDU, clinicians can leverage POCUS education providers to get certified in ultrasound capabilities and further elevate their clinical practice.

Until recently, ultrasound modalities were not largely popular in medicine. Less than 30 thirty years ago, in a 1997 survey, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that half of the developing world lacked ultrasound imaging capabilities. Ultrasound installation in the other half is either broken or outdated. As expected, technical know-how covering clinical operations. maintenance, software updates, and parts servicing were unavailable or simply inadequate(1)

Broken installations and inadequate technical know-how presented barriers to imaging access in these climes; as expected, patient outcomes and diagnosis accuracy were negatively affected for over a decade. Recognizing the potential benefits of ultrasound modalities, regional healthcare watchdogs initiated workshops and training curricula designed to spur the growth and adoption of ultrasound imaging in low-resource, underserved communities.  

Since the initiation of these programs ultrasound capabilities have improved significantly in low and medium-income countries. In January 2020, the International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and Aids published a systematic review investigating the adoption of ultrasound in resource-constrained settings and the resulting impact on specialty-specific use of ultrasound. 

Study results showed that the number of countries with reported ultrasound use has increased by 24% since 2010 from 50 to 62. Cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, internal medicine, endocrinology, and general surgery lead the rank of specialties with the most usage(2).

In developed countries, ultrasound adoption is also rapidly scaling. Clinicians rely heavily on ultrasound; deploying it as a real-time solution for improving diagnosis accuracy and tracking patients’ recovery throughout treatment. In Canada, a 2014 pilot study assessed the past, current, and potential adoption and use of point-of-care ultrasound. 

Using a participant pool of about 300 respondents, the researchers reported adoption scores of 18.8% for non-adopters, 28.7% for the majority, 34.5% for early adopters, and 18% for innovators(3). These numbers testify to the global acceptance of ultrasound imaging as a standard of diagnostics in modern medicine.




Kosmos EDU: Learn Ultrasound Operations for FREE!




Why Kosmos?

Kosmos is leading the global market in innovative, cutting-edge ultrasound solutions. Kosmos ultrasound offerings including the Kosmos Plus and Kosmos Vascular Access are designed with advanced CPU technology and proprietary high-performance PZT transducers. This combined technology offers a best-in-class imaging experience, serving clinicians as the diagnostic standards for accurate abdominal, cardiac, and multi-organ imaging. 

Compared to conventional alternatives, Kosmos point-of-care ultrasound solutions enable an industry-first CW capability on a handheld, ultraportable device. Equipped with AI capabilities, Kosmos Plus also features AI-driven grading, guidance, and labeling of the cardiac anatomy. Kosmos Ultrasound’s multiple integration capabilities, Doppler features, and probe configurations enhance patient outcomes, offering unparalleled real-time imaging.

What is Kosmos EDU?

In an attempt to improve proficiency in ultrasound technology use and adoption, Kosmos has launched the Kosmos EDU, a specialized education application designed for training and education. With a unique learning environment crafted to elevate learners’ technical know-how on imaging capabilities, AI-enabled integrations, and probe configuration, Kosmos EDU serves immense benefits in critical care, cardiology, vascular access, nephrology, and anesthesiology.



Kosmos EDU

Get started on the Kosmos EDU for a free learning experience.  



Get POCUS-Certified 

While Kosmos EDU gets you started on the basics, finding comprehensive POCUS education will help strengthen your skills. POCUS modalities require specific technical know-how developed only through masterful training and continued use. 

Continued education programs focused on POCUS proficiencies have become popular in medical schools. Third-party education providers also offer tele-ultrasound and full on-site training courses to interested clinicians. 

The Kosmos POCUS Education resource page lists world-class POCUS education providers offering comprehensive courses to clinicians in hospital networks, schools, and private practices. These courses cover multiple applications of POCUS and incorporate the knowledge gained into case studies and practice implementations. 

Most of these services offer an immersive, hands-on training approach, bridging the gap between recent POCUS research and real-world clinical practice. POCUS education providers help you leverage your knowledge from Kosmos EDU and certify your capabilities for recognition.