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MHI in Baxter adds technology
Minneapolis Heart Institute-Brainerd Lakes in Baxter reports it now offers the world's most advanced computed tomography technology north of the Twin Cities.
A new breakthrough in computed tomography, or CT, technology using two X-rays enables physicians to obtain clearer images of the beating heart and make timely diagnoses, the Minneapolis Heart Institute-Brainerd Lakes recently reported.
MHI-Brainerd Lakes is now using the Dual Source CT system, which produces images with twice the resolution and speed of the most advanced single-source CT systems. While the Dual Source CT uses two X-ray sources and offers twice the imaging power, it subjects patients to as much as 50 percent less radiation exposure than the most advanced single-source CT systems.
"The dual source technology provides anatomical detail not previously available through CT, giving us more information to make diagnoses and treatment decisions non-invasively," said Dr. Peter Stokman, cardiologist with the Minneapolis Heart Institute.
The Dual Source CT helps make advanced cardiac CT exams accessible to patients at Minneapolis Heart Institute-Brainerd Lakes who are not good candidates for other currently available imaging techniques. The Dual Source CT also reduces the need for invasive diagnostic cardiac procedures, such as cardiac catheterization angiograms, in which a catheter is threaded through a blood vessel in the groin or arm to the heart.
"The technology is especially valuable when a physician is in doubt about whether a patient should be sent home or admitted to the hospital for further testing. If the imaging shows disease, the physician can provide the appropriate care. If imaging shows the patient doesn't appear to have disease, the patient avoids the costs of an unnecessary hospital admission and tests," Stokman said in a news release.
Additionally, the Dual Source CT capability allows physicians to examine patients with elevated or irregular heart rates at Minneapolis Heart Institute-Brainerd Lakes.
The Dual Source CT has enhanced capabilities not previously available from any type of diagnostic imaging technology, which is expected to lead to new breakthroughs in clinical research. The dual source capabilities provide physicians the ability to perform exams at two different X-ray energy levels, which allows them to obtain diverse information about the anatomy in a single scan. Because X-ray energies interact differently with bone and soft tissue, physicians may be able use the Dual Source CT scanner to better differentiate and isolate these areas. Physicians will be able to further characterize and distinguish plaque, an early indicator of heart disease.
The Minneapolis Heart Institute is the largest integrated cardiovascular provider in Minnesota, the company reported. Abbott Northwestern Hospital treats more heart attack and heart failure patients than any hospital in Minnesota and is part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, a not-for-profit health care system of hospitals, clinics and other patient care services that provides care to communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
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