Hand-held Ultrasound Dopplers

These are portable, hand-held units which can be used to hear and detect fetal heartbeat. Unlike the SpaceLabs AM66 and Hewlett Packard HP8040A, they have no recording or transmission functions. The SpaceLabs model Dop-1(UXDOP) has a speaker connector for sharing sound with the patient and can be monitored using the headphones; it runs on a single alkaline 9-volt battery. The unit itself is placed on the mother’s abdomen to monitor the heartbeat. The Imex Pocket-Dop II (IXPDOP2) is powered by two rechargeable AA batteries and includes an AC charging adapter (recharge time: 14 hours) and a 3 MHz probe, connected to the unit by a flexible cable. The probe is coated with a couplant gel and then moved around on the mother’s abdomen until the heartbeat is detected. It can be monitored on the internal speaker or on the headset. Both units have a volume modulation thumbwheel. Each unit emits an ultrasonic beam which produces an sound when it intersects the vibration of the baby’s heart.