How to Use a Pedoff Doppler Transducer

The physical act of acquiring ultrasound images for the diagnosis of a medical condition isn't complicated; however, being able to take the proper pictures and know how to get them correctly takes training and practice. A pedoff Doppler transducer is a small T-shaped probe that has a small ball on the end. This ball makes contact with the patient and picks up the blood flow patterns in the patient's heart and blood vessels.

Things You'll Need

• Ultrasound gel

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Instructions

• 1

  Ask the patient to roll onto his right side to lay for the ultrasound. This position provides the best views for the Pedoff Doppler transducer.

• 2

  Squirt a small amount of ultrasound gel onto the patient's chest. This gel helps enhance the sound signals and creates a clearer reading.

• 3

  Place the ball end of the transducer onto the patient's chest over the heart and move it around until you locate the apex of the heart, which is the bottom of the heart. The apex should be located between the fifth and sixth ribs on the left side.

• 4

  Adjust the ultrasound screen so the waves are a grainy gray. They should not be white or extremely dark.

• 5

  Record readings for the apex of the heart.

• 6

  Move the transducer upward toward the right to locate the right sternal border of the heart. This position should be just to the right of the patient's sternum bone.

• 7

  Record readings at the right sternal border of the heart.

• 8

  Move the Pedoff Doppler transducer to the top of the patient's sternum at the base of the neck. This gives a reading for the suprasternal notch of the heart.

• 9

  Record the readings for the suprasternal notch.