Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
New MRI installed at hospital
 |
| Staff photo by Clint Wolf Beloit Memorial Hospital MRI technicians Jodi Clark, left, and Lisa Thompson, stand next to the hospital’s new Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner, which was installed this month. The MRI scanner used to be on a trailer outside the hospital. |
By Clint Wolf
News Editor
New location stresses patient safety, privacy
The medical imaging department at Beloit Memorial Hospital is a busy place with technicians and patients filing in throughout the day.
But, earlier this month a lot of the action came to a standstill when a new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner was installed. The huge, 14,000-pound unit drew a lot of attention from hospital staff as well as patients as it was wheeled in and put in its place.
All this commotion marked a new beginning in patient diagnostic care at the hospital.
Beloit Memorial Hospital had started using a mobile MRI unit in the 1980s, which arrived at the hospital two days a week. Later, the hospital purchased a unit, but still it was a mobile unit on a trailer that pulled up to a hospital entrance.
The new unit's location in the medical imaging department offers more patient privacy and safety, said Mardell Jacobsen, Director of Medical Imaging at the hospital.
“By bringing it in the building, we think it is safer for patients. If a patient has a medical emergency, we can get them the medical attention more quickly,” she said.
Also, since patients don't have to go to a trailer for scans, they don't have to worry that the trailer will be too cold in the winter or a bit warm in the summer. And there is more privacy for patients, who are in hospital gowns when they are scanned. They have a changing area right near the scanner.
The new GE HDx 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner also offers some advantages. Jacobsen said the unit produces better resolution in images. Also, with new software, patients movement during a scan is not as much of an issue as it used to be. Lisa Thompson, an MRI technologist at the hospital, said thanks to a software called Propeller, the information is gathered from the scan in such a way that a little bit of movement by the patient will not be so much of an issue.
The room where the MRI unit was installed was designed with the patient in mind. Oxygen and other medical equipment is built into the room. The room also is acoustically shielded to reduce noise and vibration. Also, patients can put on earphones to listen to music during the scan, which typically takes about 30 minutes.
The preparations and construction of the room where the MRI was installed began in the winter.
In-service training of staff for the new MRI unit began April 2, Jacobsen said.
“We have a core group of four technologists. Three of the four have advanced certification,” she said.
The MRI uses a powerful magnet to create images used in diagnosis. Because of the power of the magnet, some patients cannot be scanned using an MRI. Patients with pacemakers, for example, cannot be scanned with an MRI. Every patient is screened before an MRI scan to make sure it is safe for them. Also, staff are screened. Car keys, cell phones and other equipment are not to go too near the MRI unit.
The images produce by the MRI unit are more detailed than an X-ray. Jacobsen noted that an X-ray may show a fracture in a bone, but an MRI will show the fracture as well as any bruising to the bone.
The MRI unit can be used in diagnosing sports related injuries such as muscle and tendon injuries, joint injuries, spine injuries and disorders, as well as some diagnostic uses for cancer and stroke patients.
The medical imaging department at Beloit Memorial Hospital is a busy place with technicians and patients filing in throughout the day.
But, earlier this month a lot of the action came to a standstill when a new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner was installed. The huge, 14,000-pound unit drew a lot of attention from hospital staff as well as patients as it was wheeled in and put in its place.
All this commotion marked a new beginning in patient diagnostic care at the hospital.
Beloit Memorial Hospital had started using a mobile MRI unit in the 1980s, which arrived at the hospital two days a week. Later, the hospital purchased a unit, but still it was a mobile unit on a trailer that pulled up to a hospital entrance.
The new unit's location in the medical imaging department offers more patient privacy and safety, said Mardell Jacobsen, Director of Medical Imaging at the hospital.
“By bringing it in the building, we think it is safer for patients. If a patient has a medical emergency, we can get them the medical attention more quickly,” she said.
Also, since patients don't have to go to a trailer for scans, they don't have to worry that the trailer will be too cold in the winter or a bit warm in the summer. And there is more privacy for patients, who are in hospital gowns when they are scanned. They have a changing area right near the scanner.
The new GE HDx 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner also offers some advantages. Jacobsen said the unit produces better resolution in images. Also, with new software, patients movement during a scan is not as much of an issue as it used to be. Lisa Thompson, an MRI technologist at the hospital, said thanks to a software called Propeller, the information is gathered from the scan in such a way that a little bit of movement by the patient will not be so much of an issue.
The room where the MRI unit was installed was designed with the patient in mind. Oxygen and other medical equipment is built into the room. The room also is acoustically shielded to reduce noise and vibration. Also, patients can put on earphones to listen to music during the scan, which typically takes about 30 minutes.
The preparations and construction of the room where the MRI was installed began in the winter.
In-service training of staff for the new MRI unit began April 2, Jacobsen said.
“We have a core group of four technologists. Three of the four have advanced certification,” she said.
The MRI uses a powerful magnet to create images used in diagnosis. Because of the power of the magnet, some patients cannot be scanned using an MRI. Patients with pacemakers, for example, cannot be scanned with an MRI. Every patient is screened before an MRI scan to make sure it is safe for them. Also, staff are screened. Car keys, cell phones and other equipment are not to go too near the MRI unit.
The images produce by the MRI unit are more detailed than an X-ray. Jacobsen noted that an X-ray may show a fracture in a bone, but an MRI will show the fracture as well as any bruising to the bone.
The MRI unit can be used in diagnosing sports related injuries such as muscle and tendon injuries, joint injuries, spine injuries and disorders, as well as some diagnostic uses for cancer and stroke patients.
 |
 |
|
| Wisconsin Weather | Stateline Area Health News in Brief |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of beloitdailynews.com.
Submit a Comment
Login below to post your comment. |
Not yet a member? Use the form below to register. |
