What Ultrasound Gel Does to Your Patient’s Skin
If the answer to the question “what does your ultrasound gel do to your patient’s skin?” is anything other than acts as a conductive medium by reducing air space between the patient’s skin and the ultrasound transducer, you are using the wrong gel! Because ultrasound sound waves have a difficult time traveling through the air, ultrasound gel is used to reduce the air between your patient and the transducer to reduce acoustic impedance and reflection to allow for a clear image to be produced. While getting a clear image is the goal of using ultrasound gel, it should not compromise the comfort or safety of your patient. The best ultrasound gels, such as EcoVue® Ultrasound Gel, should affect your patient’s skin the way that water does — not at all.
Contact Dermatitis
According to one study contact dermatitis has occurred in a small population of patients exposed to ultrasound gel. However, it was concluded that the purpuric reactions occurred as a result of phenoxyethanol and paraben mixing and causing irritation to the skin. It is for this reason that although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not made restrictions on the use of parabens, HR Pharmaceuticals continues to make our products paraben-free.
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Unpleasant Side-Effects
Some ultrasound gels can leave behind a greasy, sticky, or tacky residue or cause drying of the skin and flaking. This is typically true of oil-based gels or those that use propylene glycol as a conditioning agent. Because there are differing opinions by researchers and experts as to whether it is a dangerous toxin or a harmless compound, HR Pharmaceuticals has opted out of using them in our products, including EcoVue Ultrasound Gel. EcoVue is a water-soluble ultrasound gel that wipes off easily, without drying, flaking, or leaving a residue behind.
Bacterial Contamination
Bacterial contamination in ultrasound gel is uncommon. However, ultrasound jelly is moist, which is ideal for bacterial growth, so the FDA has placed restrictions on using multi-use bottles in settings where cross-contamination is high and refilling ultrasound gel containers. Our multi-use packaging options have a robust preservation system that helps ensure the bottle remains safe to use after opening. And, as always, our single-use packets are available in a sterile option that provides peace of mind that you are not introducing microbes to your patient’s skin.
HR Pharmaceuticals is trusted by surgical and medical practitioners around the world. We have a responsibility for patient safety and comfort, and thus we created EcoVue Ultrasound Gel. When you use our products, the only thing that happens to your patient’s skin is producing a clear image that will allow for an accurate diagnosis.
The Natural Choice
When you need outstanding image quality in a gel you can trust to put patient safety and comfort first – EcoVue has you covered.
- 99% natural formulation
- No dyes, fragrances, or parabens
- No propylene glycol
