Huntington Memorial Acquires CT System

The emergency department of Huntington Memorial Hospital acquired a brand new, state-of-the-art CT system to address the growing needs of high-volume trauma center, it was announced this week.

With the acquisition, medical professionals at the regional hospital will be able to image the entire brain or heart in a single gantry rotation, helping them diagnose and treat life-threatening conditions such as heart attack or stroke more effectively and successfully.

As the hospital is expanding its facilities and operations, the hospital purchased a Toshiba Aquilion ONE dynamic volume CT system to serve the hospital’s general radiology, cardiology, neurology and pediatric patients. It is considered the first dynamic volume CT system used in Southern California, the hospital said in a released statement.

“The Aquilion ONE’s uniquely comprehensive exam will reduce the diagnosis time for patients suffering from life-threatening conditions, like chest pain and stroke,” Dr. Christopher G. Hedley, medical director of radiology, said via a hospital announcement. “Its ability to show real-time organ function, image patients quickly and perform multiple tests will improve patient care by empowering us to make a more accurate diagnosis faster than ever before.”

According to the hospital, the Aquilion One is the first-ever medical imaging system capable of creating a full virtual image of the brain or heart in a single gantry rotation. The image based upon that single rotation can be obtained in as little as 0.35 seconds and is the only system to show 4D dynamic movement, allowing medical professionals to see real-time images of a functioning brain or beating heart, the hospital stated.

“The Aquilion ONE is designed to handle high-volume emergency settings, as well as the everyday radiology needs of hospitals,” Doug Ryan, senior director of Toshiba’s CT Business Unit, said in a statement. “The Aquilion ONE’s ability to replace multiple tests, increase diagnostic confidence and reduce exam time while lowering radiation dose will improve workflow and patient care at Huntington Memorial Hospital, while helping to lower healthcare costs.”

As the only full-service trauma center in the region, Huntington Memorial’s emergency department handles about 60,000 patients per year. The acquisition of the CT system will assist the hospital in expanding its operations. Also, the machine is expected to be used to image non-emergency radiology, neurology, cardiology and pediatric patients.

Among the added benefits of Aquilion ONE include reduced multiple exposures to radiation, decreased exam time, and the ability to determine the exact location of a stroke within minutes, allowing medical professionals to prevent further brain damage. Previously technology generally took hours or days to discover similar information, according to the hospital. It will also help in quickly determining and treating heart c