Dr. Jessica Sedevie

Obstetrics patients at Sanford Health Northwest Clinic will soon benefit from a new portable ultrasound machine.

Dr. Jessica Sedevie, an OB/GYN physician, said she has been told that the portable ultrasound machine will be available within the next couple of months.

Sedevie said it can be a challenge for her to detect a heart beat at 10 or 12 weeks gestation, so she uses an ultrasound to help confirm the viability of a pregnancy.

The ultrasound can also help determine whether the woman is carrying a single fetus or two.

Detecting the fetal heartbeat via an early ultrasound can be an exciting as well as reassuring experience for the parents-to-be and their families.

“Patients really seem to enjoy this too,” said Sedevie.

Sanford started offering OB/GYN outreach last year, which saved some patients from making a trip to Bismarck to receive medical care.

The portable ultrasound machine will enable her to offer the same level of care to her patients in Minot that she does for patients in Bismarck, said Sedevie.