Ultrasound Suite Essentials Buying Guide
Practical insights and expert guidance to help busy ultrasound teams enhance safety, patient comfort, workflow, and compliance.
Why Ultrasound Essentials Matter
Ultrasound suites are among the busiest spaces in imaging, with patient volume, infection control, and sonographer ergonomic challenges colliding in real-time. Every detail matters: how probes are cleaned and stored, how patients are positioned, and how technologists work through long days without injury.
How to Use This Guide
We’ve organized essential ultrasound accessories and supplies into four categories to make your evaluation and purchasing decisions easier.
Safety: Strengthen infection prevention practices and reduce cross-contamination risk in ultrasound environments.
Patient Comfort: Enhance patient experiences with positioning supports, warmed gel, and blankets that ease anxiety and improve exam quality.
Workflow: Reduce sonographer strain and streamline exams with ergonomic seating, adjustable tables, and organized carts.
Regulatory & Compliance: Align storage and reprocessing practices with industry standards to simplify surveys and accreditation.
Safety
Infection Prevention, Every Exam
In ultrasound, safety starts with infection prevention. Every exam carries a risk of cross-contamination if probes, gel, or accessories aren’t handled properly.
Compliance expectations are clear: probes should be disinfected per manufacturer IFUs, hung vertically to dry, and stored in a clean, ventilated space to avoid re-contamination. Accessories like probe covers, single-use gel packets, and validated storage cabinets help teams protect patients and staff while meeting industry standards.
Focus Areas
Strengthen infection prevention by reinforcing probe handling steps that reduce cross-contamination risk at the point of care.
Prioritize patient-facing safeguards, such as probe covers and single-use gel, to lower contamination risk during exams.
Protect probes between uses with validated storage solutions that minimize damage and reduce opportunities for re-contamination.
Marketlab’s Top Safety Solutions
Did you know?
Up to 20% of ultrasound probes remain contaminated after disinfection when strict protocols aren’t followed.*
*Ferrara G, et.al., Optimizing Ultrasound Probe Disinfection for Healthcare-Associated Infection Control: A Comparative Analysis of Disinfectant Efficacy. Microorganisms. 2024.
Patient Comfort
Better Experiences for Better Exams
Ultrasound may be relatively painless, but it’s not always comfortable. Gel temperature, exam length, and positioning challenges can make patients anxious or restless, affecting both their experience and image quality.
Positioning supports and warmed gel and blankets help patients relax and remain still, leading to better images and more reliable results.
Focus Areas
Integrate positioning supports (pillows, wedges) into room setup to help patients remain still and improve scan quality.
Maintain gel and blanket warmers as standard equipment to reduce patient anxiety and increase relaxation during exams.
Ensure privacy protocols with gowns and drapes available in every room, reinforcing dignity alongside comfort.
Marketlab’s Top Comfort Solutions
Workflow
Streamlined Setup, Reduced Strain
Ultrasound departments manage some of the highest patient volumes in imaging. With so many exams in rapid succession, repetitive movements and awkward postures can lead to injury, one of the most common workplace issues for sonographers. Organized carts, probe holders, and ergonomic seating and tables keep essentials within reach, reduce strain, and streamline room turnover.
Focus Areas
Optimize ergonomics by adjusting exam tables and seating so scanning height is at or just below elbow level, reducing shoulder strain.
Standardize supply cart layouts across rooms to boost efficiency and improve exam experiences.
Protect probes with dedicated storage systems that prevent clutter, damage, and re-contamination.
Marketlab’s Top Workflow Solutions
Did you know?
Sonographers who use adjustable equipment, such as heightadjustable tables and ergonomic chairs, report significantly lower rates of neck, shoulder, and upper extremity discomfort.*
*Fukumura YE, et.al. Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Associated Work Systems Factors: Are There Differences Between Sonography Practice Areas? Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. 2023.
Regulatory & Compliance
Turning Standards into Everyday Practice
For ultrasound, compliance isn’t just about doing the right thing, it’s about proving it. Accrediting bodies like The Joint Commission (TJC), AIUM, and ACR expect facilities to align daily practices with manufacturer IFUs and national guidelines.
Tools and accessories that support proper probe storage, disinfection, and documentation not only protect patients but also give staff confidence during audits and accreditation reviews.
Focus Areas
Document and align reprocessing protocols with industry guidance and manufacturer IFUs to ensure policies match daily practice.
Adopt storage systems that meet TJC expectations, so probe protection is visible, consistent, and easy to demonstrate during surveys.
Standardize supply placement and room setup to reduce variation and strengthen survey readiness.
Marketlab’s Top Compliance Solutions
Quick Reference Checklist
TJC Probe Storage Expectations
Hang vertically with the distal tip hanging freely to ensure thorough drying and prevent damage.
Store in a clean, well-ventilated environment, such as a cabinet with HEPA-filtered airflow or positive pressure air to reduce contamination.
Keep probe cables separate from disinfected head section to avoid re-contamination.
Protect probes from damage by using storage systems with individual slots or shelves and avoid stacking or loose coiling.
Follow the manufacturer’s IFUs for drying, storage conditions, packaging and environmental conditions.
Ultrasound Essentials in Action
Ultrasound teams balance unique challenges every day: high patient volumes, strict infection-prevention protocols, and the physical demands of repetitive scanning. The right accessories and supplies don’t just make exams easier – they help improve image quality, reduce staff injuries, and ensure alignment with accreditation standards.
Connect with a Marketlab expert at 800-237-3604 or service@marketlab.com
