Technology Used By NFL Teams on Sidelines Advances Care of Stoke, Critical Care Patients
June 10, 2008
The same innovative, portable CT technology being used by teams in the National Football League to quickly evaluate head and neck injuries suffered on the playing field is now advancing the care of critically ill patients at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) by allowing doctors to perform important diagnostic testing right at the bedside.
Manufactured by Massachusetts-based NeuroLogica Corporation, the CereTomä CT head and neck CT scanner runs on a rechargeable battery and is the most compact and lightweight technology of its kind.
According to Paul M. Kiproff, MD, chairman of AGH's Department of Radiology, the CereTom scanner is a significant new technology that helps physicians make faster and more informed treatment decisions for patients who are too sick to risk being transported to a traditional CT scanner located elsewhere in he hospital, particularly in times of emergency.
"Time is often extremely critical when information is needed to determine the course of a patient's treatment. The Ceretom CT brings diagnostic imaging right to bedside. In intensive care units, or even the operating room - where surgeons can use the machine to help identify and address any complications prior to moving the patient – such technology can greatly enhance the our capabilities for treating very sick patients."
Mounted on wheels, the CereTom CT scanner can easily pass through standard doorways and moved to any location. Images produced by the unit are transmitted back to a portable laptop-based workstation for immediate viewing. The workstation resembles a large laptop computer with an accessory keyboard and mouse.
"Every minute counts when someone is suffering from a stroke, head or neck trauma, and the faster we can make a diagnosis and start treatment, and the more effectively we can manage a patient's recovery in the hospital, the better the outcome may be," said Ashis Tayal, MD, medical director of AGH's Comprehensive Stroke Center. "The CereTom CT scanner can complete a head scan in about five minutes with just the push of a button and includes CT angiography and CT perfusion imaging options, which is invaluable in the diagnosis and treatment of stroke."
The CereTom measures only 29 inches deep, five feet tall and four feet wide, and is a high-speed, battery and line powered multi-slice CT scanner optimized primarily for head and neck imaging. The system's battery can be recharged in any standard wall outlet and holds enough power to image four to eight patients.
In addition to AGH, the CereTom CT scanner is in use at a number of leading hospitals across the country, including the Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Medical Center, Mayo Clinic and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Recently, surgeons in Saudi Arabia used the CereTom during surgery to separate conjoined twins. The unit enabled the surgical team to monitor the twins during the procedure and immediately upon separation for life-threatening complications before the twins left the operating room.
