Higher Precision and Greater Confidence: Why Dr. Jonny Wilkinson Uses the iQ3™ in Anesthesia Daily

In anesthesia, POCUS is increasingly considered the standard of care, and handheld ultrasound devices are common in this specialty. Butterfly has been Dr. Wilkinson’s preferred device since its inception. He shared why the Butterfly iQ3 constantly stays by his side—both in his own practice and as a key tool for training the next generation of anesthesiologists.

How Dr. Wilkinson Uses Butterfly iQ3 for Perioperative Care

Day to day, Dr. Wilkinson relies on the Butterfly iQ3 for point-of-care scanning, assessing patients’ hearts, abdomens, and lungs. Beyond diagnostics, the device also enhances procedural precision and confidence:

Vascular access.

The iQ3 helps guide needle placement for delivering anesthesia, reducing guesswork and lowering the risk of missing the vessel. With an instant scan, Dr. Wilkinson can visualize access points in real time. Now, with Butterfly’s Needle Out-of-Plane preset, anesthesiologists can spot the needle tip even sooner—within 1mm of entry, often with little to no technique adjustment.

Regional anesthesia.

The iQ3 provides real-time guidance when placing regional anesthesia, helping to prevent nerve damage. Better visualization means higher precision and greater peace of mind.

The device offers clarity and control for procedures like placing PIV lines, inserting IVs, and performing peripheral nerve blocks. Dr. Wilkinson highlights the advantage of seeing both the short and long axes simultaneously when placing a line. With a simple tilt of the probe, he can scan different depths and adjust an IV line’s position with precision.

The iQ3 is an invaluable tool for helping improve in needle placement, regional anesthesia, and vascular access for newer and experienced anesthesiologists alike.

The Benefits of handheld POCUS with Butterfly iQ3

Anesthesiologists play a critical role in keeping patients safe and comfortable during invasive, often life-saving procedures.

For Dr. Wilkinson, the need for ultrasound can arise in an instant—and carrying a handheld device means he always has it when he needs it. “Carts are everywhere,” he explains, “but if I need an ultrasound right now, I might have to leave the theater suite or send someone to get one.” Instead, he keeps a Butterfly device on hand, ready to scan patients for line placement or injuries—especially in emergencies when every second counts.

For Dr. Wilkinson, the Butterfly iQ3 is an essential tool in patient care for several key reasons:

• Reliability. As a corded handheld ultrasound, the iQ3 provides a more stable connection than wireless devices, which often suffer from interference, dropout, and overheating. “Wireless will never be it,” he says. The cable between the iQ3 and a tablet or smartphone doesn’t disrupt his workflow—it simply ensures a consistent, reliable connection.
• Continuous updates. The iQ3 receives regular digital updates, making the device an indispensable part of Dr. Wilkinson’s practice.
• Ease of use. The iQ3’s intuitive interface makes scanning seamless. Users simply pinch and swipe to capture an image. This simplicity not only supports training and ongoing learning but also boosts efficiency. Anesthesiologists can quickly grab the probe, find the answer they need, and move forward with patient care.

Better Care and Greater Patient Engagement

POCUS also strengthens care by engaging patients in the process. “You’re there with your hand on the patient and can show them what’s on screen,” he explains.

The ultrasound image can both guide clinicians’ explanations and encourage patients to ask questions and engage with the process. Being able to see what’s happening in their body assures them of what’s going on, even when the image reveals an abnormal pathology.

Research has shown that POCUS can lead to shorter hospital stays¹ as well as higher satisfaction and perception of care efficiency², all because patients are engaged in the process.

Training New Anesthesiologists with Butterfly

In addition to his own practice, Dr. Wilkinson finds the iQ3’s intuitive features invaluable when training newer physicians. The iQ3 allows him to show trainees what to look for and help improve their precision and procedural success rate.

Placing a Line with Biplane Imaging™

When training someone to place an arterial line, Dr. Wilkinson connects the iQ3 to a tablet for a real-time display of images. In vascular patients with extensive vein damage, line placement can be especially challenging. If a wire doesn’t glide in smoothly, inexperienced physicians might instinctively pull out the needle and try again.

With the Butterfly probe’s Biplane Imaging feature, Dr. Wilkinson can show them exactly where the needle tip is along the axis. This view helps them learn what to look for and manipulate the needle just far enough to steer it in the right direction. By using ultrasound, they can place the line with greater accuracy—avoiding artery spasms and reducing the risk of failed arterial access in patients who need it most.

Fine-tuning Needle Placement with NeedleViz™

Dr. Wilkinson highlights the iQ3’s NeedleViz as a powerful teaching tool, enhancing needle visualization for trainees. Trainees can see exactly where their hand is and adjust in real time to achieve the right placement.

“This feature does help the hand-eye coordination and psychomotor skills of the user, because they can see and accentuate  the needle’s path in bright blue,” he said. What starts as a flat image suddenly transforms into a dynamic 3D image that shifts with their adjustments. “For learners, it’s game-changing,” Dr. Wilkinson says. “It helps them manipulate the probe, and suddenly, they start understanding what they’re seeing.”

ScanLab™ for Clear Teaching Demonstration

The Butterfly ScanLab application makes it easy for Dr. Wilkinson to explain new concepts and anatomical findings to trainees using an iPad. For example, he uses it to demonstrate where to place the probe for the ideal apical four-chamber view of the heart. “It’s easiest to have the patient in front of you and just demonstrate it,” he says. “But when that’s not possible, ScanLab presents it in a way that’s easy to digest.”

Paired with the iQ3, ScanLab helps trainees bypass the complexity of traditional cart-based systems so they can focus on image acquisition. Dr. Wilkinson estimates that learning these concepts on an advanced cart system could take weeks or even months. With Butterfly’s tools, you can focus on teaching image acquisition, as opposed to how to use the dials and knobs, after just 20 minutes of demonstration.

The Future of Perioperative Care

In 2020, Dr. Wilkinson and cardiologist Dr. Lars Maxhaug co-authored a paper³ for the Journal of Intensive Care Society, predicting that the future of ultrasound would mean smaller devices. They advocated for handheld devices that offer portability, convenience, and accessibility—especially for new learners. Today, that perspective still shapes Dr. Wilkinson’s approach as he uses the iQ3 to guide critical aspects of patient care in anesthesiology and train the next generation of clinicians.