MCH Installs New, Safer CT Scan

To make CT exams as fast, safe and accurate as possible for patients, Mountains Community Hospital in Lake Arrowhead, CA, has installed the Aquilion^TM PRIME 80-Slice CT system from Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. The new CT scanner provides faster exams at as low as reasonably achievable doses of radiation, while producing high-quality images required for accurate diagnoses.

“The speed of the new CT scanner enables our clinicians to obtain critical patient information for enhanced diagnoses faster than before,” explained Allan Maneje, Radiology Manager, MCH. “The design of the Aquilion PRIME allows us to successfully image a range of patients, from pediatric to bariatric, to further improve patient safety and comfort in our community.” Faster scans mean shorter breath hold times and less chance of patient movement and blurry images. This is especially better for lung, abdominal CTs and better for evaluating blood vessel diseases or conditions such as aneurysms or blockages.

Our 16-slice CT scanner needed to be replaced. Going from 16 to 80 slices will result in a much better image quality. Patient comfort is another benefit of the new machine. The CT’s opening is the largest in the industry, offering a more spacious feeling for patients, while a higher table weight limit expands the range of patients who can be imaged – almost twice the weight of our current machine. The new CT features Tech Assist Lateral Slide. This feature centers patients on the couch without our staff having to physically move them.

In addition, the CT comes standard with industry-leading dose-reduction software. “The Aquilion PRIME is another example of our commitment to developing advanced technology designed for today’s hospitals, enabling them to perform fast, low-dose exams that are safer and more comfortable for the patient,” said Tim Nicholson, Senior Manager, Toshiba CT Business Unit. ALARA is an acronym that stands for “as low as reasonably achievable.” ALARA is a core concept of radiation safety and it strives to ensure that occupational and public exposure to radiation is kept as low as reasonably achievable while complying with regulatory requirements. Our new CT scanner minimizes the amount and duration of radiation exposure, making it one of the safest CT scanners available in the industry.

Unfortunately, health issues happen – but know that Mountains Community Hospital is fully equipped with the leading CT scan technology that can quickly assist your physician in diagnosing your condition.