University Hospital Crosshouse, a busy district general hospital with an Emergency Department (ED) serving the population of East and North Ayrshire in Scotland, has recently installed two new Artificial Intelligent (AI)-assisted CT scanners into its Medical Imaging Department to future-proof diagnostic imaging services for local and regional patients.
The innovative Aquilion Prime SP CTs from Canon Medical Systems UK replace ageing eight-year-old scanners from an incumbent provider, and will be instrumental in remobilising COVID-19 related waiting-list backlogs and wider pressures on imaging services.
Designed to increase clinical capacity, the innovative CT scanners will help meet current imaging needs and accelerate future development plans at the hospital. This will include providing an expanded range of procedures to diagnose clinical conditions earlier, without the need for patients to travel to another hospital up to an hour away.
Caroline Crosbie, CT & MRI Superintendent at University Hospital Crosshouse states, “The innovative Aquilion Prime SP CT scanners mean that we can start making our plans for an improved quality of diagnostic care for patients a reality. For example, to date, patients requiring gated or aortic CT scans would have been referred to NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, nearly an hour away. Offering closer-to-home cardiac imaging may help to overcome some patient referral issues such as health inequalities and anxiety. Future plans are to provide high quality CT brain perfusion scans on site as part of the Stroke Thrombectomy service. By having higher grade CT imaging functionality, we can deliver an improved standard of care and a patient centred approach to our local community.”
The selection of the new CT scanners involved a full tender and market evaluation process. Canon Medical Systems UK was selected for its advanced technology and after-sales service provision. The Aquilion Prime SP CT scanner is powered by an Advanced intelligent Clear-IQ Engine (AiCE) using Deep-Learning reconstruction. It produces exceptionally detailed imaging for clinical interpretation at the lowest possible dose to patients. It is ideal for a wide range of patients from paediatric through to bariatric patients and is suited to the 24/7 service for inpatient, outpatient, trauma and stroke workload at busy district general hospitals.
“Transitioning to a completely new CT scanner and interface may seem daunting, but with the support of on-site applications training, our radiographers learned the operation of the system very quickly,” continues Caroline Crosbie. “We also have access to the Canon Medical Imaging Academy to check any instant queries online and our early experience of telephone after-care has proven to be quick and responsive to any questions we may have had. The relationship with Canon Medical UK has evolved into a good working relationship.”
“We are delighted to support University Hospital Crosshouse with its bold step in selecting new CT imaging equipment from Canon Medical UK. Users had to get to know new ways of working with the CT user interface compared to their previous systems but understood the returns they would get for their patients by embracing new standards of innovation. We look forward to supporting its expansion of closer-to-home imaging services through ongoing CT applications support,” adds Iain Gray, Account Manager at Canon Medical Systems UK.
