Patients will benefit from faster scanning with improved image quality thanks to a newly installed Computerized Tomography (CT) Scanner at Hawke’s Bay Hospital.
The new machine is a GE Revolution Apex Elite and is the first of this model to be installed in Aotearoa, Radiology Manager Angela Fuller says.
“It produces ultra-fast, higher definition images whilst using less radiation, which should flow through to better outcomes for patients and whānau.”
Clinically trained professionals from supplier GE Healthcare have been on-site training staff in Radiology’s Tom McCormack Memorial CT Suite.
Ms Fuller says the machine, used to diagnose medical conditions, illnesses and injuries, offers the best of modern CT technology.
“The advanced software means high-quality images can be consistently delivered across the team.”
Ms Fuller says the ultra-fast scan mode improves cardiac CT scanning capability and can produce one-beat cardiac scans. This allows for better imaging of children and reduces the need to use General Anaesthetic or sedation.
With the new set-up, Radiologists can now review images from their own office which is more efficient than having to work from the CT Scanner workstation.
“Having high-quality, reliable equipment that does the job it is supposed to do ensures we provide a good patient experience, and makes the jobs of our Medical Imaging Technologists a far more enjoyable experience.The entire Radiology team is overjoyed to have reached this long-awaited milestone which patients will benefit from.”
Ms Fuller says the previous CT Scanner had reached the end of its life and no longer met New Zealand quality standards.
“GE Healthcare will refurbish it so it can be sent overseas and used by a country that doesn’t currently have one and can benefit from it.”
Minor refurbishments were done on the Tom McCormack Memorial Suite so that it could accommodate the new machine including levelling the floor and electrical work.
The new CT Scanner is part of a wider radiology refurbishment at Hawke’s Bay Hospital. As part of this project, Te Whatu Ora Hawke’s Bay replaced its angiography unit and fluoroscopy unit, refurbished three Digital Radiography rooms (formerly X-ray rooms) and upgraded the existing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
Ms Fuller says there is still work to come such as adding a second CT Scanner and reconfiguring the layout of the unit to ensure we are delivering the highest quality patient care.
ENDS
Pictured top: Radiology leadership team, staff and project team members gathered as Pou Whirinaki Mana Hazel led the blessing of the new CT Scanner.
Pictured L-R: Amber Baker and Alex O’Brien, both CT Application Specialists from GE Healthcare, and CT Team Leader Elizabeth Macaulay from Hawke’s Bay Hospital).
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