RENFREW – Renfrew Victoria Hospital’s digital imaging department has taken a giant leap forward with the installation of a new GE 128-slice Revolution – EVO scanner in January.
“This is really significant for our hospital,” said Randy Penney, RVH president and CEO. “For our patients and for our staff it is further evidence that we are making a significant investment to ensure that we have state-of-the-art equipment.”
As computed tomography (CT) technology continues to advance and perform more efficiently and effectively, it is important to offer the newest generation of scanner to RVH patients.
“The Revolution Evo will increase image clarity and improve image quality, as well as decrease image artefact and noise,” noted Phil Crozier, RVH Diagnostic lmaging Lead.
Another advantage of the new CT scanner is dose reduction software that will allow patients to be scanned at a lower dose.
“The new CT scanner will provide outstanding quality images while exposing our patients to less radiation,” said Dr. Steve Radke, RVH Chief of Staff. “This is part of an RVH commitment to improved patient safety—the new scanner will allow physicians to follow newly published screening guidelines recommended by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care and Cancer Care Ontario.”
An added benefit of the enhanced CT technology is that it will allow RVH to participate, in partnership with The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) and Cornwall Community Hospital, as the Ottawa Valley site for a new, three-year High Risk Lung Cancer Screening Pilot (HRLCS) project.
Sponsored by Cancer Care Ontario (CCO), the project is aimed at screening people who are smokers and at higher risk of developing lung cancer with the goal of detecting these cancers as early as possible.
“This project participation is another advantage of having the new CT scanner and our collaboration with TOH for reporting of our Medical imaging,” noted Mr. Crozier, adding that TOH is in the process of installing the same CT equipment.
RVH staff began application training on Monday, January 23, and the new scanner was expected to be fully operational on Thursday, January 26.
“The updated 128-slice CT scanner positions RVH as a leader in our region,” said Julia Boudreau, VH vice-president of corporate services. “It allows us to share images with other organizations, increases our diagnostic capabilities and enhances the care we provide to our patients in Renfrew and the surrounding area.”
The purchase of the new CT scanner is being funded by the RVH Foundation’s fundraising efforts.
“The Foundation is so grateful for the support it receives” said Barb Desilets, executive director of the Renfrew Victoria Hospital Foundation, “and this is an example of the difference donor dollars make. It was evident during the initial CT campaign in 2009 that our community saw the value of this service. Because of ongoing gifts, we can now support the upgrade to ensure the continuation of quality service close to home”
