Williamson County EMS Studying Use Of Ultrasound Machines Inside Ambulances

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — The Williamson County EMS is participating in what's being billed as a groundbreaking study centered on equipping ambulances with ultrasound machines, officials said announced on Wednesday.

The ultrasound machines are effective in differentiating between air and fluid in the body, officials explained. Paramedics have been trained to use the machines primarily with trauma patients as a way of detecting internal bleeding that would otherwise go undetected prior to a patient's hospitalization, officials said.

The study promotes the idea of paramedics' use of the non-invasive procedure for patients with medical issues and trauma. Officials noted that even a common procedure as inserting intravenous fluids can be improved using ultrasound in order to locate veins.

The test units are being deployed on a pair of Williamson County EMS ambulances for 90 days, officials said. The study is being led by Jason Bowman, a Texas A&M University medical student. The ultrasound machines for use in the study were supplied free of charge to the county, officials noted.

Should the outcome of the study prove beneficial to patients, the county's EMS officials would explore the idea of incorporating the devices in the future, according to a county news advisory. Currently, there are no ground-based ambulance services in the area with ultrasound capabilities, officials said.

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