Why Are Ultrasound Machines So Expensive?
I&#x27;ve been researching diagnostic medical equipment a lot recently, and it seems like the biggest barrier to homebrew medical diagnostic equipment is attitudinal. Discussion about building your own equipment are almost immediately sidetracked by FUD about how dangerous it is.<p>Proper medical devices have loads of safety features! They have isolated power supplies! They are tested in harsh environments! They fail in a predictable manner! There are regulations that need to be followed! New devices are still expensive because they are better!<p>Yes, electricity can kill you.<p>Yes, improper medical advice can kill you.<p>Yes, malfunctioning diagnostic equipment can lead to an incorrect diagnosis, which, yes, can kill you.<p>Yes, medical regulations exist and protect us from harm.<p>While a homebrew machine would not be able to compete with the latest and greatest, I&#x27;d hazard that even rudimentary diagnostic equipment could save thousands of lives a year in the developing world. These technologies are not new -- the medical ultrasound has been around for more than 60 years, and the EKG has been around for nearly 100. It seems insane that cost is still such a barrier for the machines used for medical diagnostics, when the price of other technologies has fallen so much in the same period of time.<p>I bought myself a Rigol DS1054Z, and I realized that I paid $400 for an oscilloscope that would have cost millions of dollars 30 years ago. I thought about the experiments I had done on neurons using the 50 year old oscilloscopes as part of my degree, and I realized that an ECG&#x2F;EKG can be replicated pretty easily with an oscilloscope. It turns out, building an ECG is pretty trivial. It&#x27;s not a 12-lead ECG, but it&#x27;s also something I built out of parts I had on hand.<p>I don&#x27;t see why other medical technology should be any different. Yes, unregulated medical technology <i>is</i> dangerous, but the risk doesn&#x27;t seem to outweigh the potential benefit. If the parts to build these devices is cheaper and more accessible than they ever have been, and the equipment needed to build, test and calibrate the devices is cheaper and more accessible than ever, it seems like the devices themselves should be cheaper and more accessible than ever. I think there is a place for a $20k ultrasound, but when you live hours or days from an ultrasound, a cheaper option could save lives, even if the primary purpose is directing people to get a follow-up with the more capable machine.