Saving Lives One Image at a Time

Doctors need good information in a timely fashion to make decisions.  In obstetrics, general surgery, and critical care, even minutes can make a difference in determining whether a life is saved or not.  The availability of bedside ultrasound for rapid assessment in critical areas such as the ICU, emergency departments and labor & delivery units has become more of the norm now than the exception.  Obstetricians certainly rely more on ultrasound than on a stethoscope!

Over the past year over 150 people contributed toward this beautiful, brand new, Sonosite M-Turbo ultrasound machine with two probes.  One probe is for doing obstetric and abdominal ultrasounds, and the other probe is a critical care cardiac probe which allows bedside cardiac, arterial and venous assessments.

Finally, after the efforts and generosity of so many people, this ultrasound has found a home in the ICU at Mbingo Baptist Hospital in Cameroon, West Africa.  Here is has easy rapid access to the doctors working in the ICU, surgery and obstetric wards and is available 24 hours a day!

As of a few weeks ago, the ultrasound was 88% funded, and I will receive an update on June 1st to find out if it is fully funded.  [Based on the initial response of so many donors, we proceeded with the purchase even though all of the funding had not come in.]  The ultrasound itself is the size of a laptop computer, and I brought it on the plane to Cameroon as my carry-on.

Truly this ultrasound will aid physicians here to make better and quicker decisions, and it is appropriate to claim that lives will be saved "one image at a time."

Thank you to everyone who helped to make this happen.  You have made a difference in the world!

If anyone would like to still make a contribution toward this project, or towards the work that I do with Samaritan's Purse in developing countries, you can do so at the link below this paragraph (you may need to copy and paste it) and then scroll down to FIND DR./MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL and type my name "SAWYER, ALLAN" in the box.  All funds are placed in my ministry account and will be used for supporting my work in mission hospitals around the world through Samaritan's Purse.  Thank you.  Bless you! You have made a difference in the world!

https://www.samaritanspurse.org/medical/wmm-doctors/