A new approach for hospital CT head scans
Germany-based medical technology company Siemens Healthineers is bringing a pioneering new piece of technology to the healthcare market, which removes the need for complicated patient transportation during CT head scans
The new mobile head CT scanner, Somatom On.site, offers enhanced patient safety and CT operations – as the patient no longer needs to be transferred to the radiology departments, staff can stay in the ICU with the patient during CT head scans.
So, how does it work? First, the headboard of the bed is removed, and the patient – who remains in the bed connected to all the necessary devices – is repositioned at the isocentre with the positioning aids guaranteeing the patient’s stability and, as such, consistent image quality. After the image acquisition, the patient is removed from the head holder and returned the original position. The entire process requires very little staff involvement and only takes a few minutes, Siemens Healthineers said.
The benefits are demonstrable: the mobile CT head scanner reduces the risk to patients, as staff no longer have to swap patients from fixed devices (such as ventilators) to portable ones, then transport and scan the patient, before reattaching the fixed devices. In addition, telescopic gantry helps to make scanning in patient rooms safe, as the gantry itself is self-shielded; and the telescopic design means that, during the scan, the tube and detector move away from the patient bore at the front, which further reduces scatter radiation. What’s more, attachable radiation shields covering the front and back bore openings complete the radiation-protection concept and significantly reduce radiation exposure for nearby patients and staff.
“For us, Somatom On.site is a fundamentally new approach to performing CT head scans for patients in intensive care,” commented Philipp Fischer, Head of Computed Tomography at Siemens Healthineers. “The combination of mobility, user-friendliness, and consistent image quality enables unprecedented levels of patient safety. At the same time, healthcare providers can make even more optimal use of their staff and CT fleet.”