A bigger, better way to get an MRI
St. John’s Hospital unveils new machine
Quieter, more spacious and better overall for patients is how Patricia Gillespie, the director of the Imaging Department at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, describes the Far Rockaway facility’s new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine.
The new equipment, the Vantage Titan™ from Toshiba, was unveiled at the hospital on June 27 and was uniquely installed five weeks ago. “A rigger lifted the magnet through the roof and it took that long to install it,” Gillespie said.
Michael Anderson, a Zone Business manager for Toshiba, said an MRI machine uses a magnetic field that works with the hydrogen in the body to visualize internal structures in the body. “It creates a signal within a desired area of the body,” he said. “We’re able to manipulate it and read information as the body responds from the signal.”
According to Gillespie, the average size of an MRI machine is 60 centimeters wide and the Vantage Titan™ is 71 centimeters wide, ultimately allowing the hospital to treat more patients. “This is the widest capable opening in the industry so we can encompass larger patients and those who are claustrophobic,” she said. “We even put three MRI technologists in the machine at one time to show its size.”
Aside from its larger width, the Vantage Titan™ also boasts an illusionary ceiling with a picture of trees and a blue sky that creates a calming environment for patients. The vacuum chamber inside makes it quieter than most other MRI machines as noise is a common complaint from patients, Gillespie said. “If a patient is looking up there is a feeling of being outdoors; it’s beautiful,” she said. “And the noise reduction makes a big difference.”
Brian Boeckeler, a three-year MRI technologist at the hospital, said having the new equipment is a wonderful addition. “The patients love it and it’s more roomy,” he said. “We’re able to accommodate more people and it even has a fan which is not typical in any MRI room I’ve ever been in.”
Gillespie said the journey from installing the magnet through the hospital’s roof to unveiling the new equipment has been very rewarding. “This is something we’ve been working toward and we’re now able to do great things for the population,” she said. “This is a vision come true.”
Nicole Kreizel contributed to this story.
