In 2019, World Synergy helped Block Buddy, LLC build Block Buddy Pro, an educational app that teaches medical professionals how to administer nerve blocks and perform Point-of-Care Ultrasound scans. Now, we're proud to share that Block Buddy Pro is helping healthcare providers across the globe evaluate and treat COVID-19 patients.
Lung Ultrasound Technology and COVID-19
The medical experts behind Block Buddy Pro understand the importance of lung ultrasound technology in the fight against COVID-19, so they've expanded their Lung Ultrasound Lesson to help healthcare providers across the globe understand pulmonary changes seen in COVID-19 patients. Not only have they now made the valuable Lesson free on their website, they are even offering free 60-day app subscriptions so that medical professionals can easily access the lesson to help screen, diagnose, and evaluate the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Their Lung Ultrasound Lesson can be found on MyBlockBuddy.com and on the Block Buddy Pro app. Block Buddy co-owner Scott Urigel was even featured on WKYC Channel 3 News to discuss how lung ultrasonography is being employed by Advanced Practice Nurses and Physicians across the globe to help detect and evaluate the treatments of COVID-19 patients.
How Mobile Ultrasound Devices Help Detect COVID-19
Medical professionals use the Lung Ultrasound Lesson to learn how to use handheld ultrasound devices to detect COVID-19. Wireless ultrasound devices can be quickly accessed and connected to a tablet or smartphone at a patient’s bedside. Within a matter of minutes, medical professionals use these mobile devices to perform a lung ultrasound scan in the ICU or emergency room, avoiding a trip to the CT scanner.
Using wireless ultrasound devices prevents the timely process of disinfecting a large CT scanner, and avoids the transport of a contagious COVID-19 patient through the halls of the hospital, minimizing exposure of the virus to other patients, nurses, physicians, and staff members. Compared to a traditional chest x-ray, mobile ultrasound devices avoid radiation exposure and are more sensitive in detecting various medical conditions.
Handheld ultrasound devices do have their limitations, however, and are not intended to replace CT scans altogether. But during the coronavirus pandemic, mobile ultrasound devices are safe, efficient, and effective tools for the assessment of COVID-19.
Additional Benefits of Block Buddy Pro
The free Lung Ultrasound Lesson teaches not only point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) techniques, such as the use of lung ultrasonography, but also the use of ultrasound guidance in treating patients with acute and non-surgical pain. The Block Buddy Pro app provides over 30 medical lessons altogether, many of which are focused on teaching ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks to anesthesia providers.
The app offers ultrasound images, videos, anatomical illustrations, equipment lists, a non-opioid medication guide, and additional resources to help medical professionals keep their skills sharp and provide the best care possible for their patients. It’s available now in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
