A brand new computerized tomography (CT) scanner went live at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital Feb. 29, considerably increasing capabilities of the radiology division.
The new CT scanner is touted as "the world's most flexible premium tier solution."
The scanner is replacing an old scanner that had become unreliable, according to Dr. (Lt. Col.) Kevin Schlegel, diagnostic radiologist and current radiology department chief. The previous radiology chief and his team selected the department's first Toshiba product after working with various vendors.
"When I made the decision to pursue the same scanner at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital, it was because it had the largest detector array available, had extensive capabilities allowing us to expand services offered," said Dr. (Maj.) David Humphrey, CT section chief in BACH's radiology department.
The 640 has an increased patient weight limit of 660 pounds, scans more quickly, covers more area with each pass and can scan the entire heart in less than one beat. Humphrey said that capability expands possibilities for cardiac and coronary artery imaging at BACH.
"The scanner can reconstruct the information it obtains in a new, more advanced way to reduce artifacts and better evaluate areas that would have previously been obscured," he explained. "This is especially true for scans of people with joint replacements or implanted metallic devices."
Humphrey said the faster scan time reduces the time patients are on the table, which increases patient comfort. Productivity of the radiology department also gets a boost with the improved speed of procedures.
"This CT scanner includes the latest technology, rivaling any other CT scanner in the region," Schlegel boasted.
"We likely have one of the most technologically advanced CT scanners of any hospital in our catchment area, including significantly larger civilian health systems and universities," Humphrey said. "I can say that with confidence because there aren't that many other scanners on the market that can rival the specifications of this machine.
"Medical imaging is one of the fastest evolving branches of medicine, and with this acquisition we have future-proofed ourselves by obtaining a machine that will be considered cutting edge for years to come," he added. "Our hardware should never be a limiting factor."
Humphrey said he's grateful to the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency for its assistance in acquiring the top-of-the-line scanner. USAMMA's stated mission is "to develop, tailor, deliver, and sustain medical materiel capabilities and data in order to build and enable health readiness."
Mission accomplished.
Info box:
-320 detectors spread over a 16 cm scan width (old CT was 64 slices over 4 cm)
-increased scan path allows imaging of the entire heart within one beat
-improved resolution
-quicker scan times
-several dose reduction features allows for lower patient dose
-dose tracking software
-improved patient safety
-increased reliability
-Single-Energy Metal Artifact Reduction (SEMAR) reduces artifact when imaging orthopedic hardware
-increased patient weight limit (660 pounds)
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