Imaging team helps more kids, faster, with new MRI machine and software
Hamilton Health Sciences’ (HHS) McMaster Children’s Hospital (MCH) has good news for kids waiting for a diagnosis or update on their treatment and need an MRI. Thanks to a new machine and accompanying software, the hospital can now see 20 per cent more patients per day because the scans produce higher quality images in less time. MCH is the first pediatric hospital in Canada to use the new Deep Resolve software and it is having an immediate impact.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans, or MRIs, are routine procedures that create a three-dimensional picture of what’s going on inside your body. Your medical team can look for tumors or other issues with your organs, your joints and other systems. MRIs are often used to look at the brain, spine or knees. This is different from a CT scan because MRIs do not use x-ray radiation. During an MRI, patients need to lie still inside the large, noisy magnetic machine.
“This software is in its infancy which means there are more upgrades coming. It will only get better from here.”
To help pediatric patients stay still for the scan, they often receive general anesthetic. This can add to the amount of time needed, with each scan taking two to four hours. But now, instead of five general anesthetic MRI patients per day, the unit can book six patients, reducing wait times and leading to fewer rebooked appointments.
Improving the MRI experience one scan at a time
Sumeet Gupta and the MRI machine.
If MRI technologist Sumeet Gupta can make a child laugh before their procedure, he knows he has already made their day that much better. He and the MRI team go above and beyond to make sure children coming in for a procedure are as comfortable and relaxed as possible.
“You need to enjoy working and caring for children, and my personal goal is to exceed the standard of care to give the best possible care for these kids,” says Gupta.
As part of the HHS Managed Equipment Services agreement, in the summer of 2022, MCH installed a new Siemens Healthineers MRI machine featuring whisper technology and the ability to reconstruct images at a much faster rate. Siemens also recently introduced new Deep Resolve software for the MRI machine, producing even higher quality images in a quarter of the time.
Gupta is not only an MRI technologist, but also the technical specialist for MRIs at MCH. He has worked in this role for more than five years. Leading the new Deep Resolve project, Gupta has played an important role in the success of this new software. “I am proud we can be leaders for this new technology,” he says.
Eric Ricker, manager of diagnostic imaging at MCH, says MCH set a new record one day this fall thanks to the increased scanning efficiency of Deep Resolve, with a total of eight general anesthetic cases in one day. The MRI team is excited to have this new software and is looking forward to caring for even more kids.
And Gupta says there are more benefits to come due to this new and emerging technology. “This software is in its infancy which means there are more upgrades coming. It will only get better from here.”
