Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health is teaming up with Guilford, Conn.-based digital health company Butterfly Network to put Butterfly iQ, a new point-of-care ultrasound device, into wide practice.
Butterfly iQ is the first ultrasound device to be single-probe, whole-body and portable. Its probe can connect to a smartphone or tablet, allowing physicians to examine patients during home visits as if they were in the exam room. The device employs cloud-based security tools and operates on a software platform designed to streamline workflow.
The device does not expose patients to radiation, unlike X-rays or CT scans. Butterfly iQ is also much easier to clean and transport than other imaging technology devices due to its small size.
"The Butterfly iQ devices have already given Atrium Health greater abilities in screening and monitoring COVID-19 patients by providing an immediate and clear picture of what’s happening in a patient’s lungs," said Rasu Shrestha, MD, executive vice president and chief strategy and transformation officer at Atrium Health, in a news release. "Our teams are already using it to provide care for heart patients, and we anticipate this device ushering in a new era of front-line care."
Butterfly iQ devices are being used at more than 30 Atrium locations, mainly COVID-19 testing centers, intensive care units and emergency departments.