PeaceHealth Peace Island’s new CT scanner expands imaging capabilities

||| FROM ANNA WILLIAMS for PEACE ISLAND MEDICAL CENTER ||

After months of work and anticipation, PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center last month served its first patient on a new, state-of-the-art CT scanner.

The new machine, a Siemens Somatom X.cite CT scanner, marks a big leap forward for Peace Island’s imaging services, particularly for stroke and cardiac patients. The machine will allow the team to perform cardiac CT angiography to capture images of the vessels in the heart.

A CT, or computed tomography, scanner uses X-rays and computer technology to take detailed, cross-sectional images of the inside of the body. By capturing multiple X-ray images from different angles and compiling them, it creates a detailed picture that looks like a “slice” of the body, allowing doctors to see a variety of tissues, bones, organs andblood vessels.

“Our new CT scanner is faster, clearer and safer,” said Chris Wood, director of Imaging for PeaceHealth Northwest. “It captures highly detailed images in less time, which means fewer repeat scans and less waiting. It also uses much lower radiation doses while still giving doctors the clear pictures they need to make accurate diagnoses.”

The machine, which replaces the original CT scanner installed when the hospital opened in 2012, has additional features that reduce manual steps and decrease exam variability, Wood added. It also has the ability to accommodate larger, heavier patients. As of Dec. 10, the Imaging team has completed 158 studies on 115 patients.

The CT scan go-live also allowed PeaceHealth Peace Island to bring back its mobile MRI coach, which had been temporarily displaced by a mobile CT scanner needed while the Imaging suite was under construction. The MRI coach visits Peace Island on Saturdays.

“This new CT scanner is all about improving care for our patients,” said Theresa Loya, director of clinical services at PeaceHealth Peace Island. “We’re incredibly proud to bring this advanced technology close to home, and we’re deeply grateful to our caregivers, whose teamwork made this possible for our community.”

About PeaceHealth

PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Washington, is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, a medical group practice with more than 1,100 providers and 9 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest.

In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission. Visit us online at peacehealth.org.