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BUTTERFLY DEVICES
PORTABLE ULTRASOUND TECHNOLOGY IN HANDS OF TEMPLE MEDICAL STUDENTS By David A. Kostival, Contributing Writer
W
hen it comes to training students in the practice of medicine, keeping up with the latest technology often goes hand-in-hand with clinical skills.
Temple University recognized this earlier this year when it made a groundbreaking gift to all first- and second-year students in the Lewis Katz School of Medicine.
Because of what the university called a “generous donation” by Dr. Ronald Salvitti, MD, ’63, the Katz School gave handheld, portable Butterfly iQ+ ultrasound devices to every member of the class of 2025 in August and to the members of the class of 2024 in October. Temple became the first school on the East Coast to make such a gift. According to university officials, there are only two other medical schools, both on the West Coast, that gave its students the devices.
Six imaging modes The Butterfly iQ+ brings point-of-care ultrasound to the next level. The probe is plugged into a mobile device, which then connects to the Butterfly iQ+ iOS or Android app. The device has access to six imaging modes, offering visualization of nearly every bodily structure. In a press release, Jason Wingard, president of Temple University, said this was a path-breaking gift for medical students. “It allows us to introduce them to advanced medical imaging on the very first day that they begin their coursework, creating a solid foundation for them to become future leaders and innovators in the field of medicine,” Wingard said in a statement. Dr. Amy Goldberg, interim dean and professor of surgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, said the technology involved has been around for decades. But what is new is that the portable units can easily bring ultrasonography to a patient’s bedside. “This is cutting-edge with regard to education,” Goldberg said. “This is like a high-powered stethoscope. But where with a stethoscope you listen, the ultrasound sees. “If seeing a patient with abdominal pain, you will take this out of your pocket, plug it into your phone and take a look to see how the gall bladder looks,” she said. Goldberg said that is why it is so critically important to give a unit such as this to students.
The technology “is cutting-edge with regard to education,” said Dr. Amy Goldberg, interim dean and professor of surgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. “This is like a high-powered stethoscope. But where with a stethoscope you listen, the ultrasound sees.”
14 Philadelphia Medicine : Winter 2022
