Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital has become the latest health centre to install CARESTREAM DRX-Revolution mobile X-ray units.
One of the largest specialist heart and chest hospitals in the UK, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist services in cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology, respiratory medicine including adult cystic fibrosis and diagnostic imaging. In 2014, the trust was rated top in the country for overall patient care in the Care Quality Commission's National Inpatient Survey - the seventh time in eight years.
As a tertiary hospital, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital provides heart and chest services for the North West of England, including North Wales and the Isle of Man. The radiology department is a shared radiology service providing diagnostic imaging for both Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital and The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospital, with MRI, CT, five Image Intensifiers, five cath labs and a hybrid theatre for TEVAR/TAVI The four new Carestream DRX-Revolutions are used in the general radiology department for all mobile X-ray requests, which can number up to 50 a day.
Diane Evans, superintendent radiographer of the Liverpool Heart & Chest Hospital radiology department, said: “We undertook an evaluation of six digital mobile units, with a team of four radiographers rating them on a range of parameters, including ease of maneuvering and visibility when driving, ease of tube movement and positioning of the detector and the ability to link to our PACS/CRIS. They also considered image quality on screen, the amount of training required, infection control issues and the overall cost.
“Finally, the radiologists commented on image quality when viewing on PACS then, after evaluating the radiographers’ scores, comparing costs and considering comments from radiologists, the decision was made to purchase four Carestream DRX-Revolution mobiles.”
She added: “We previously used conventional mobile X-ray machines with CR cassettes. This was more time consuming, as we needed to consider processing time, and harder physical work due to the number of CR cassettes required. Clinical staff enjoy the instant imaging so they can continue with patient treatment or schedule interventions to hasten the patient’s recovery, and there’s the added bonus of the Pic Line windowing to enhance lines and devices.
“Patients on our main thoracic ward are also benefiting as we are able to use the Revolution as a satellite X-ray room to X-ray patients in the PA position, who would normally be X-rayed as an AP mobile. This has the advantage of better radiation protection and gives clinicians the ‘gold standard’ PA chest X-ray. In addition, patients’ dignity is maintained as they don’t leave the ward to be pushed down a draughty corridor and can spend more time with relatives on the ward. Our porters are then able to concentrate on CT/MRI patients to aid an efficient, but extremely-busy cross-sectional service.”
