Scanner to cut hospital wait times

George Abbott hopes his math skills sum up the new addition to Vernon Jubilee Hospital.

The provincial Minister of Health Services was at VJH Thursday morning to officially unveil the hospital’s new 64-slice CT Scanner, which replaces an old four-slice model.

“I hope this is 16 times better than the old one, if my math is correct,” laughed Abbott, who was joined by other dignitaries and hospital staff for the unveiling of the $2 million state-of-the-art piece of technology that provides faster, more detailed scans that will allow doctors to accurately detect life-threatening illnesses at early stages and determine effective treatment options.

“With early diagnosis, many patients are able to receive less invasive treatments with better outcomes possible than with later diagnosis.”

The new scanner, 60 per cent of which was paid for by the Ministry of Health Services through Interior Health, and 40 per cent by the North Okanagan Columbia Shuswap Regional Hospital District, will allow radiologists and technologists to scan cancer, pediatric, elderly, trauma and respiratory-compromised patients more efficiently and quickly.

It’s a machine that has 64 individual sets of x-ray emitters and detectors that work at the same time.

“With increasing demand for CT services, the new scanner will help keep wait times down,” said Abbott.

VJH performs 30 to 40 CT scans per day.

The new piece of equipment allows for more complex scans, meaning patients requiring more detailed scans, such as for neurological tumours, will not have to travel to Kelowna General Hospital for enhanced scanning.

“The new scanner allows us to increase our diagnostic capabilities, and allows us to go to areas we couldn’t go before,” said Dr. Glenn Scheske, medical director of imaging for VJH.

It’s also been a recruiting tool for the hospital as well, as Interior Health has hired three radiologists and a CT technologist for the imaging department.

“We’re very proud of this installation, it’s world-class,” said Zeno Cescon, Interior Health’s program administrator for diagnostic imaging. “These new additions ensure that we now have the human resources at VJH to sustain the CT department, as well as enhance the CT department to provide the necessary service for the emergency room, surgery and the intensive care unit.”

Okanagan-Vernon MLA Tom Christensen, who was the first to have a CT scan in 2008 on the old four-slice machine, thanks to an emergency room stay at New Year’s, said the new equipment is a critical part of the ongoing investment being made in the provincial health care system to ensure there is health care in the community.

“The number of CT scans in B.C. has increased dramatically,” said Christensen, who, along with his three kids, was born at VJH. “We’re doing the best job possible.”

The scanner will help radiologists and technicians to better perform CT angiograms, visualize small abnormalities in the chest and perform guided biopsies in all part of the body in the diagnosis of suspicious-looking growths that can potentially be the early stages of cancer.

Two VJH technologists were sent to Japan for advanced training on the Toshiba-made scanner.

Since 2001-02, B.C. has acquired 17 new CT scanners for hospitals.

Abbott said Shuswap Lake General Hospital in Salmon Arm will also be receiving a new 64-slice model.