Royal Sussex County Hospital, part of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, has helped to reduce the administration of general anaesthetic by a third in patients aged 4-17 by expanding its MR capability with the help of new technology from Siemens Healthcare.
The MAGNETOM Aera 1.5T is part of a three-fold operation to provide enhanced MR access to paediatric patients, relocate the neurology department, and ensure a better experience for inpatients, due to its wide bore and comfort-enhancing features.
“The new MAGNETOM Aera is adjacent to The Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital, which provides a safer and more comfortable transition for our paediatric patients,” said John Wilkinson, imaging services manager at Royal Sussex County Hospital.
“Since the installation, the Royal Sussex has reduced the administration of general anaesthetic to paediatric patients by a third due to increased compliance and comfort. This is due to a combination of factors including the wide bore system, which makes the process less claustrophobic and an in-bore television, donated by Rockinghorse Children’s Charity so that paediatric patients can have a more-enjoyable and relaxing experience.”
Two further Aera 1.5T systems are due to be installed as part of the technology refresh and to further enhance the radiology offering. The systems will be used for a wide range of services including cardiac, breast, orthopaedic and prostate. The system will also be used to ensure better throughput for neurology patients following Royal Sussex’s appointment as a regional centre for neurology.
Wilkinson said: “The two Aera systems that will replace existing technology will allow the hospital to bring specialist breast and cardiac MR services in-house as we now have the advanced technological capability and high-resolution image quality. We will be using the systems seven days a week, which will greatly impact the out-of-hours MR service with patients being seen more rapidly.”
Paul Vaughan, regional sales manager at Siemens Healthcare, added: “With the installation of a MAGNETOM Aera and a further two systems later in the year, we are confident that Royal Sussex County Hospital will be able to deliver the safest and most-comfortable service possible to its patient population. The systems will represent a huge step forward in terms of capability with the use of syngo.via applications for cardiac, breast and prostate imaging to help enhance the quality and speed of diagnosis.”