Report ECMUS Safety Committee

 

Gail ter Haar, ECMUS Committee, Chairman

The Safety Committee met twice in 2008, once during the EFSUMB meeting in Timisoara, Romania, and once at the invitation of committee member Dr Christian Kollmann at the Centre for Biomedical Engineering & Physics, Medical University of Vienna. The current membership is Gail ter Haar (Chair (UK)), Michael Delius (Germany), Lil Valentin (Sweden), Kjell Salvesen (Norway), Ladislav Dolezal (Czech Republic) and Christian Kollmann (Austria). In addition we welcome Annemieke van Wamel as a co-opted member.

Four reviews of published literature have been agreed and made available through the newsletter, and on the EFSUMB website. The EFSUMB statement has been reviewed and updated, with a minor amendment that states that "It is important that ultrasound devices are appropriately maintained". The safety of the use of Doppler Ultrasound in the first trimester of pregnancy has been widely discussed both within the committee, and in the wider community. A debate on this has been arranged for the 2009 Edinburgh EFSUMB conference. Existing safety guidelines are being examined with a view to their possible revision.

Past safety committees produced a hugely successful series of tutorial articles designed to provide information on a number of safety related topics. These can be found in the ECMUS area of the EFSUMB website. A number of new and updated tutorial articles are planned, and two, on cellular effects and on sonothrombolysis are already in draft form. These are intended to be accessible to clinical users of ultrasound.

ECMUS will meet twice in 2009, in France in March and again at the EFSUMB meeting in Edinburgh. It is intended that there will also be a joint meeting with the BMUS safety committee at this conference.

ECMUS exists to serve the EFSUMB membership. If there is any area for concern or topic that could benefit from clarification please do not hesitate to let us know.

Prof Gail ter Haar

ECMUS Committee Chairman