Hospital reveals €2.5m CT suite
Gone is the grim room that did little to alleviate the intimidating experience of undergoing a heavy-duty diagnostic test, and in its place is an airy space where palm trees and a balmy blue sky — courtesy of light boxes lining the ceiling — provide a welcome distraction for patients.
Andy Owen, radiographic services manager, said the suite was specifically designed with patients’ needs in mind, given many find the experience claustrophobic. In addition, the new scanners allow an expansion of services at the hospital — previously, cardiac patients had to be referred for scans to Cork University Hospital but the new technology means far more sophisticated imaging can be done on site.
“It means we can also do lower limb angiography [X-ray examination of blood vessels] which we couldn’t do before. This allows us to strip away everything from the image except what we want to look at,” Mr Owen said.
Consultant radiologist Martin O’Driscoll said the new scanner would reduce scanning times, leading to minimal motion blurring — patients are required to hold their breath during a CT scan to minimise blurring caused by lung movement, so the faster the image is taken, the less blurring occurs.
Dr O’Driscoll said the new equipment would also reduce the radiation dose, which was good news for paediatric patients.
Mr Owen said because the hospital now has two scanners, patients would not be discommoded if one machine broke down, as has happened in the past.
The Mercy Hospital Foundation raised €1m to specifically fund the equipment, which Foundation chief executive Micheál Sheridan said was in line with their aim of providing a world-class hospital in the city.
Mercy hospital chief executive Sandra Daly said the development reaffirms the hospital’s dedication to high-quality patient care.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
