How Portable Ultrasounds Keep Astronauts Healthy

NASA recently conducted its first medical evacuation from the International Space Station, with astronaut Mike Fincke crediting portable ultrasound devices as "super handy" during the emergency. The station uses compact devices like GE Healthcare's laptop-sized Vivid iq and Butterfly's handheld iQ ultrasound, which replaces traditional large analog crystals with 9,000 digital sensors on a microchip. These portable ultrasounds regularly monitor astronauts for zero-gravity effects on eyes and jugular veins prone to clots in microgravity conditions.