New MRI scanner provides greater patient comfort
PRESQUE ISLE — A newly installed state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine at TAMC will provide improved image quality for the more than 2,200 MRI scans performed annually at the hospital and also offer greater comfort for patients.
Photo courtesy of TAMC
PAM LORD, RT(R) (MRI)(CT), works with the new state-of-the-art MRI scanner at TAMC. The advanced technology allows for faster scan times, more detailed imaging and improved overall image quality, as well as increased patient comfort.
MRI is a test that uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to make pictures of organs and structures inside the body. In many cases, it gives different information about structures in the body that cannot be seen with an X-ray, ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) scan.
“At TAMC, we make every effort to provide the latest and most advanced technology to county patients. The addition of the new MRI machine is yet another example of how we are leading in this area,” said Randy Bacon, manager of imaging services at TAMC’s J. Paul and Blanche Levesque Imaging Center. “Patients from across northern Maine, and the providers who care for them, will most certainly benefit from this leading technology and advances in imaging that the new MRI brings to The County.”
In addition to the technological advances, the new MRI will provide greater comfort for patients, as well. Because most of the patient’s body is inside the machine when using a typical MRI scanner, it can be uncomfortable for larger patients or for those who are claustrophobic. That problem should be alleviated with the new large bore design of the Magnetom Espree MRI recently installed at TAMC.
“The patient opening is wider and shorter than conventional MRI systems. This unique design provides more overall space for the patient, reducing anxiety and improving comfort,” said Bacon.
The machine can accommodate patients up to 550 pounds, according to Bacon. Also, for many exams, the patient’s feet can go in first, with the head remaining outside, alleviating issues with anxiety and claustrophobia.
The advanced technology allows for faster scan times, more detailed imaging, and improved overall image quality. It includes the industry-best Sentinelle breast MRI system that will allow MRI guided biopsy capability.
“The ability to perform biopsies on the new MRI unit means County residents now have access to state-of-the-art biopsy options. MRI-guided biopsy can be used when ultrasound, CT or mammographic images fail to visualize an abnormality,” said Dr. Alan Mautz, a physician in TAMC’s radiology department. “Each type of imaging compliments the others; the addition of MRI guided biopsy with other image guided biopsy techniques provides TAMC patients with all available options.”
The Magnetom Espree MRI replaces a machine that had been in use at TAMC since 2003. Several steps were involved to accomplish the change in equipment.
First, in order to avoid any disruption to patient services, a mobile unit was put into service in a hospital parking lot. The equipment on board provided a scan quality equal to TAMC’s system at that time. The mobile unit was in use for six weeks and served approximately 240 patients during that time.
With the mobile unit in place, the hospital hired local contractors A&L Construction of Presque Isle to take down part of a wall in order to remove the equipment.
“The opening in the wall existed to install the original scanner. We just had to re-open it,” explained Bacon.
After the scanner was removed by a crane, work began to upgrade the electrical service and to install a new water chiller. Both were needed due to the higher cooling and power requirements of the new system.
“Almost all MRI systems are cooled using liquid helium, and in order to remain liquid, helium needs to be about -400 degrees Fahrenheit. Most systems ‘burn off’ the liquid helium slowly over time, causing the need to refill the system every few months,” said Bacon. “This new system used advanced technology to achieve a ‘zero boil-off rate’; therefore, no helium will ever need to be added unless there is some sort of system failure. This is better for the environment and less costly to operate.”
Once the upgrades were complete, the new MRI scanner was installed, and employee training began. The first scans were performed on patients earlier this month.
