New advanced CT scanner speeds care at Grand River
KITCHENER — Grand River Hospital unveiled its new state-of-the-art CT scanner on Thursday, installed at the Kitchener hospital thanks to a $2.5million fundraising campaign.
“This is medical imaging at its best. It saves lives every day,” hospital foundation president Tracey Bailey told a gathering of staff and donors Thursday.
CT scanners are essential in diagnosing a stroke, so doctors can administer clot-busting drugs as quickly as possible. It’s used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and it also serves emergency, trauma, pediatrics, surgical, renal, critical care and vascular patients.
“It makes a huge difference in many different types of life-saving care,” said Malcolm Maxwell, hospital president and chief executive officer.
Hospital staff rely on the imaging department to provide quality patient care.
“It’s important as we do those things we have the best equipment available,” Maxwell said.
Thankfully in recent years, he told the audience, there have been tremendous advances in the hospital’s imaging department.
“Those advances have been made possible by our community.”
The new scanner will replace one of two aging machines at the hospital. Grand River’s CT suite performed nearly 22,000 exams in the 2015-2016 fiscal year.
A CT (computed tomography) scanner emits a narrow beam of X-rays as it moves in an arc around the body and, with the aid of sophisticated computer processing, cross-sectional images are produced. The machine’s computer can use these images to generate additional images in different planes of the body.
The new machine has two X-ray tubes and detectors for better imaging, and it’s also more comfortable and quiet for the patient. Sandy Weiler knows the value of a CT scanner. The Waterloo woman suffered a stroke just over two years ago, and was rushed in for a CT scan after being taken to Grand River by ambulance.
“Thankfully I was diagnosed very, very quickly,” said Weiler, 69.
That allowed her to get the clot-busting drug to treat the stroke, and then rehabilitation at Freeport to learn how to walk and write again.
“With that rehabilitation and a little bit of time, I’m good,” Weiler said. “I’m very lucky and very grateful to Grand River.”