Sonicaid Explained

Sonicaid Ltd was a medical electronics company headquartered in West Sussex best known for its range of Doppler fetal monitors. The company also developed early ultrasound scanners. The word "Sonicaid" is in generic use for Doppler fetal monitors. Sonicaid is now a registered trademark of Huntleigh Healthcare.^[1]

Fetal monitors

Sonicaid developed a range of fetal monitors, notably the portable Doppler ultrasound products D102, D104 ("Pocket Sonicaid", winner of a Design Council Award for medical equipment in 1976^[2]), D205^{[3] [4]} and D206 which provided audible output of fetal heart sounds. The original design was due to Frederick (Doug) Fielder who was Sonicaid's medical research director.^{[5] [6] [7] [8]}

The FM series products used both ultrasound and ECG to provide continuous monitoring (recorded on paper charts), enabling clinical interpretation of changes in fetal heart rate during contractions.^[9] The FM3R^[10] received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 1977^[11] and one of these instruments is displayed at the Science Museum, London^[12] (the "machine that goes ping" in The Meaning of Life is identifiable as this model).

Ultrasound scanners

Sonicaid Ltd was involved in an early venture in the development of a 3D multiplanar scanner in the mid-1970s,^[13] building on the pioneering obstetric ultrasonography work by Prof Ian Donald and colleagues.^[14] They also developed the Sonicaid RTS5200 Real Time Scanner which was used in hospitals for obstetric applications.

Company history

Sonicaid Ltd was based in Bognor Regis in the 1970s^[15] with a unit in Livingston, Scotland, and in Chichester in the 1980s. The company was acquired in 1987 by Oxford Instruments and developed the product range further^[16] as "Oxford Sonicaid".

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2019-10-09 . SONICAID Trademark SN 73025661 . Trademark Status & Document Retrieval.
2. Web site: 2019-10-09 . Teague, M.J., Pocket sonicaid . VADS: the online resource for visual arts.
3. Web site: 2019-10-09 . Ultrasonic foetal heart monitor, England, 1973–1978 . Science Museum.
4. Health and Social Service Journal, May 5, 1972, p.1012
5. Web site: 2019-10-09 . Medical pioneer was 'modest man' . 2017-01-16 . Shoreham Herald.
6. F.D. . F.R. . Ultrasonics . 4 . Fielder . Ultrasonic Doppler systems and their use in diagnosis . Baker . 1968 . 6 . 265 . 0041-624X . 10.1016/0041-624X(68)90181-9.
7. F.D. . R.F. . Ultrasonics . 1 . Fielder . Diagnostic applications of Doppler ultrasound . Baker . 1969 . 7 . 36–38 . 0041-624X . 10.1016/0041-624X(69)90526-5. 5813331 .
8. F.D. . Pamela . Ultrasonics . 4 . Fielder . Foetal blood flow detector . Pocock . 1968 . 6 . 240–241 . 0041-624X . 10.1016/0041-624X(68)90134-0. 5717478 .
9. Book: Beard, Richard W. . Fetal heart patterns and their clinical interpretation . Sonicaid . 1974 . 429786231.
10. Web site: 2019-10-09 . Image of foetal monitoring system, united kingdom, 1980 . 2008-04-23 . Science & Society Picture Library.
11. Web site: 2019-10-09 . K771379 510(k) Premarket Notification . 1999-12-24 . accessdata.fda.gov.
12. Web site: 2019-10-09 . Electronic foetal monitoring system, United Kingdom, 1980 . Science Museum.
13. Web site: 2019-10-09 . An except from an unpublished article on the 3D Multiplanar scanner that Tom Brown invented and marketed in 1975 . Brown . Tom . ob-ultrasound.net.
14. Ian . Investigation of Abdominal Masses by Pulsed Ultrasound . MacVicar . J. . Brown . T.G . The Lancet . 1958 . 271 . 7032 . 1188–1195 . 10.1016/S0140-6736(58)91905-6 . Donald . 13550965.
15. 'Ultrasonics Technology' job advertisement . Reed Business Information . 1971-12-02 . New Scientist . 52 . 772 . 55 . 0262-4079.
16. Web site: 2019-10-09 . K002150 510(k) Premarket Notification . 1999-12-24 . accessdata.fda.gov.