University of Washington researchers used very advanced, proprietary technologies, including digital conversion of ultrasound into an application-specific integrated circuit chip, to build a device weighing under six pounds. That was the birth of the SonoSite 180 machine, introduced on the market in 1998.

RL: What are some of the company’s milestones?

DM: We’ve introduced 12 products over 20 years in point-of-care ultrasound and have nearly 120,000 devices installed in 166 countries. We’ve been first to market with clamshell products, a fully operational one-handed system, and a wall-mounted system widely used in resuscitation bays and other locations. SonoSite was also first to market with an intuitive kiosk-based ultrasound system.

RL: What is SonoSite’s current focus?

DM: Our sole focus is point-of-care ultrasound with a guiding mission of “Any patient, anywhere, anytime.” It’s not just about miniaturization: The goal is to get an answer quickly and easily, so we spend a lot of time on user interface. If physicians are resuscitating a critical patient, the last thing they want is an ultrasound device that looks like the cockpit of the space shuttle. It has to be intuitive.

RL: What do you like most about working at SonoSite?

DM: I love that we’re trying to solve problems in health care. Every week, we get notes from physicians around the world about how clinical care has been impacted by point-of-care ultrasound, such as saving a patient’s life. That is extremely satisfying and motivating.

RL: How do you see point-of-care ultrasound and SonoSite’s collaboration with ACEP evolving in the future?

DM: Working with the ACEP ultrasound section has been a great partnership over the years and I think many more great things are going to happen. This technology is like the Swiss Army knife in medicine and its uses will continue to evolve. I love hearing from younger physicians who are discovering new applications. Ultimately, what drives me, what drives SonoSite, and what drives ACEP is improving patient care.

Dr. Liu is the director of point-of-care ultrasound education in the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, where she also serves as assistant professor in t he department of emergency medicine and associate director of the section of emergency ultrasound. She is the current chair of the ACEP Emergency Ultrasound Section, and the immediate past president of the Academy of Emergency Ultrasound in the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. (SAEM).

Dr. Mandavia is chief medical officer and senior vice president at FUJIFILM SonoSite, Inc. and FUJIFILM Medical Systems U.S.A., Inc. in Bothell, Washington. He is also clinical associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and was an attending staff physician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from 1998 to 2010. He is a founding member and past chair of the ACEP Ultrasound Section and co-author of the ACEP Ultrasound Guidelines.