Z5 Vet | Mindray
Independent machine review
Dr Camilla Edwards reviews the Z5 Vet.
Read the full review, along with more about the expert behind this review below.
About Camilla...
The expert behind this independent review!
Dr Camilla Edwards, a peripatetic veterinary ultrasonographer in
Cambridge, founded FOVU First Opinion Veterinary Ultrasound in
2018 after earning her veterinary degree in 2006. Camilla's
veterinary ultrasound expertise is widely recognised through her
numerous lectures, ultrasound machine reviews, podcasts, online courses, and exclusive membership to help veterinary professionals master and confidently use ultrasound.
FOVU is a worldwide source of veterinary ultrasound expertise, with
a primary mission to educate, support, and empower veterinary
professionals in improving their ultrasound skills. FOVU’s goal is to
increase confidence in operating ultrasound machines and improve
scanning skills to diagnose patients effectively.
Mindray Z5 Vet Review
What the manufacturers say:
The The Mindray Z5 Vet is a portable (7.7kg without the battery) colour doppler system with a 15′′ LCD monitor with 30-degree tilt function and a backlit keyboard.
PRICE: <£10K
Specifications
Standard Configurations
Scanning modes – B, Colour, PW, M mode as standard
Image display modes – B, 2B, 4B, B/C, B/M, B/PW, Triplex PW
Probes available – Convex, Linear, Micro-convex, Endocavity
Probes available – Convex, Linear, microconvex, endovaginal, phased array
Applications – Abdo/Card/OB/Gyn/Sml/Uro/Vas/Orth/EM/Nerve
Image formats – BMP, JPG, DCM, AVI, CIN
Rapid system boot up in 30s
Specifically designed trolley – UMT-160
Where to buy this machine:
What do I think?
I have used this scanner in over 30 cases now and find it a very intuitive machine to use. The buttons are clearly labelled and there’s no guessing what they mean. The image quality is very good and it appears to be very good value for money – Prices I have seen range from £4953.19 to £8,400 including VAT including machine and one probe.
The machine starts up very quickly and the patient information is easily added.
I’ve used this machine with the 65C15EA micro-convex probe in cats and dogs for abdominal scans and basic echocardiography scans. It has lived up to these challenges well. The frequencies available on this probe are 5.0MHz, 6.5MHz, 7.5MHz, 8.5MHz, H8.0MHz and H9.0MHz – which is a fantastic range for most first opinion small animal abdominal and cardiac needs but can struggle with very large dogs.
I am often using different machines and it usually takes me a couple of minutes to remember the set up, but this is one of the most logically laid out ultrasound machines and one that I settle into very quickly each time.
The time gain compensation is a series of sliders, the overall gain is adjusted with an obvious knob. The focal point can be changed from 0.5cm to 10cm in depth and the depth itself can be adjusted from 0.8cm-28cm.
You can save a still image and using the rollerball go back in time to find the perfect image before the dog fidgeted/started panting(!) or a cineloop.
Transferring images to USB appears to be easily done, however, I always manage to confuse myself as I can either save by clicking on the images and saving them on USB which more time consuming that end but less time consuming when it comes to opening on the computer or you can save the patient (including images) as a backup onto USB – very quickly done but this results in a mixture of images and other files which is harder to disentangle when you open it on the
computer. Also it is not clear at informing you once the downloading has finished.
Get in touch if you sell this machine (or if you’ve got one second hand for sale) and would like my help, or if you have opinions on this machine. Also please get in touch if you know any hacks for any issues I mention etc.
Summary
Pros
- Great value for money
- Good quality picture
- Easy to use
Cons
- Transfer to USB is not straight forward
Z5 Vet Overall Score
My scores
Ease of settings ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Image quality ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Value for money ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Robustness ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Portability ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not sure what machine is right for you?
When people talk to me about ultrasound machines, they are often overwhelmed by the choice and unsure about what machine is best for their practice.
In my experience, the most important factor that everyone is looking for is the best image quality for their budget.
To ease the overwhelm, I've designed a quiz that explores your needs and budget. By answering key questions, you'll streamline your search and receive a tailored recommendation for the perfect machine that suits your practice.
