St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Installs New MRI and CT
PONTIAC (WWJ) -- St. Joseph Mercy Oakland announced this week that it has installed a new Siemens open-bore, 32-channel Magnetom Aera Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system and the 320-slice Toshiba Aquilion ONE dynamic volume computed tomography (CT) system.
Both are now operational.
"Both diagnostic systems offer unsurpassed imaging quality, faster scanning study time and measurably lower radiation exposure to our patients," says Babu Vemuri, M.D., chair of the hospital's department of radiology.
Vemuri said the two new imaging systems strongly support the hospital's new Level II Trauma Center designation, along with its Truven Top 50 heart program and its nationally recognized stroke program. St. Joe is the home of the Michigan Stroke Network.
Having this new equipment helps identify health problems more quickly, Vemuri said. "For example, every 25 seconds an American suffers a coronary event," Vemuri said. "Therefore, identifying risk factors that can lead to a coronary event is one of our critical missions. Using our latest imaging technology provides us with us high quality images so that we can make a more accurate diagnosis more quickly than in the past."
The advantages of the new open-bore, 32-channel MRI for patients include:
• The open- bore design accommodates a large variety of patient sizes, shapes and conditions
• Super-short magnet allows many studies to be completed with the patient's head outside the opening, helping reduce patient anxiety and reducing sedation rates
• Tailored, optimized scans can be configured to patient conditions
• Faster scanning time so patients spend less time in the machine • More comfortable, with no patient repositioning
St. Joe's is the only Detroit metropolitan hospital that has the Toshiba Aquilion ONE CT, which is the most advanced CT system on the market. The 320-slice CT system's many advantages to patients include:
• Reduces radiation exposure to patients by up to 80 percent compared to other CT systems
• Provides a uniquely comprehensive exam that reduces diagnosis time from hours or days to mere minutes for patients experiencing symptoms of heart conditions, stroke or other diseases
• Delivers the highest quality CT images so physicians can make a more accurate diagnosis so treatment is started more quickly
• Images an entire organ, like a heart or brain, in a single X-ray rotation
• Helps to reduce costs and streamline treatment by helping to provide a more complete and timely diagnosis with just one scan
SJMO offers evening and weekend hours for MRI and CT exams. A physician's order is required. Appointments may be made by calling St. Joe's scheduling office at (248) 858-3777 or by visiting www.stjoesoakland.org and clicking on "Schedule a Test" in the Find It Fast box.
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland is a 443-bed comprehensive, community, teaching hospital. Founded in 1927 by the Sisters of Mercy, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland has won numerous local and national awards for patient safety, quality and performance, and consistently ranks in the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide.
Saint Joseph Mercy Health System is a health care organization serving six counties in southeast Michigan, including Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne. It includes 537-bed St. Joseph Mercy in Ann Arbor, 443-bed St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed St. Mary Mercy in Livonia, 136-bed St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, 119-bed St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron and 113-bed Chelsea Community Hospital. Combined, the six hospitals are licensed for 1,726 beds, have six outpatient health centers, six urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers; employ more than 14,000 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,700 physicians.
SJMHS is a member of Trinity Health, the nation's fourth largest Catholic health care organization.
