Expanded cardiac service at Torbay Hospital meets an increase in demand for specialist procedures

Published: 6-Nov-2015

New MR service addressing sizeable demand in cardiac, prostate and liver imaging

Torbay Hospital, part of Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, is now delivering a dedicated cardiac MR service to local patients with the help of MR technology from Siemens Healthcare.

The MAGNETOM Aera MR system with syngo.via is enabling the hospital to meet an increase in demand for specialist and complex procedures.

As well as cardiac MR, these include dynamic prostate imaging, liver MR and small bowel imaging, and with its wide-bore design the new system is alleviating patient concerns when undergoing MR scans.

“Being able to deliver a cardiac MR service was identified as a top priority and was core to our selection of the MAGNETOM Aera from Siemens Healthcare,” said Simon Smith, superintendent radiographer at Torbay Hospital.

“With cardiology patients previously referred for MR being sent to Exeter, there were instances where patients in the region were experiencing long waits for cardiac MR and needing to travel long distances.”

“The MAGNETOM Aera was identified as the best solution for the delivery of this service and in particular, its wide bore design. We have noticed a decrease in the number of patient abandonments for MR scans since this new system was installed, with the wide bore directly addressing issues of claustrophobia and servicing the needs of bariatric patients in particular.”

The MAGNETOM Aera is currently being used by radiographers at the hospital up to seven days a week, supporting a busy MRI department that sees on average 30/35 patients a day. The system from Siemens Healthcare has significantly enhanced the scope of procedures that the hospital is able to deliver and is responding to increasing patient imaging uptake.

Smith said: “We are experiencing sizeable demand for dynamic prostate imaging – a complex examination that is labour-intensive – as well as for liver MR to ensure that targets for initial liver scans are effectively being met. The installation of the system has provided us with the capability to deliver more-specialist, complex procedures in a timely manner.”

The MAGNETOM Aera provides comprehensive application coverage and the versatility to expand MRI services to meet increasing clinical healthcare demands. Supported by syngo.via, an imaging solution that helps to process, read and share images faster for both routine and advanced MR interpretation, the MAGNETOM Aera’s core focus is on the delivery of patient-centred care through exceptional quality and speed in MR.

Vince Golledge, head of corporate sales at Siemens Healthcare, said: “Torbay Hospital is now able to effectively respond to heightened demands and address a clear regional need through the provision of a cardiac MR service, with the MAGNETOM Aera being instrumental to the delivery of a range of complex procedures. Siemens Healthcare will continue to work closely alongside the hospital as it expands its clinical scope.”

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