Heart scanner first in southern hemisphere
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7 October 2008
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In a major international coup for Victoria, Monash Medical Centre has been chosen as the first site in the southern hemisphere to receive a new Aquilion ONE dynamic volume CT scanner and to train health professionals in its use.
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The new computerised tomography (CT) scanner will lead to faster, more accurate diagnosis of heart attack and stroke patients at MonashHeart cardiology centre.
Victorian Premier John Brumby said the Aquilion ONE—a 320-slice CT scanner developed by Toshiba — was the world’s most advanced CT scanner.
Mr Brumby said Toshiba had chosen Southern Health’s Monash Medical Centre as its international luminary site for CT research and clinical education in the southern hemisphere.
“Toshiba has just six other such luminary sites, all in the northern hemisphere, for international research, training and education in cardiac CT,” Mr Brumby said.
“Monash Medical Centre will become a new centre of international status for the education and training of clinical and technical professionals. This is a significant milestone for both Southern Health and healthcare in Victoria.
“This scanner will cut the time it takes to diagnose patients with symptoms of heart attack or stroke and reduce the number of unnecessary hospital admissions.”
Health Minister Daniel Andrews said the new scanner at Monash Heart cardiology centre would provide state-of-the-art education and training facilities for national and international health care providers.
“In a single rotation scan, the revolutionary technology creates an instant 3D image of an entire organ, allowing for faster, more accurate diagnosis and better patient care,” Mr Andrews said.
“For the first time, doctors can see a 3D image of an organ as well as its dynamic blood flow and at the same time perform studies.”
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