Nebraska hospital’s new imaging tech ‘saves lives’
Gordon Memorial Hospital in Sheridan County, Nebraska, recently added a digital x-ray machine, and two years ago bought a CT scanner. Since then diagnosis and overall care have been steadily improving, the Scottsbluff StarHerald reports.
The new x-ray cuts down on patient radiation exposure and takes far less time than traditional x-ray machines.
“It’s quicker. It takes less time for the technologist,” said Franchone Bauer, radiology director at Gordon Memorial in the report. “And there’s a quarter of the radiation there was before.”
The CT scanner installed two years ago is having an even greater impact. It allows the hospital to perform exams for local patients who would otherwise have to drive more than 100 miles to undergo a scan. In non-emergency situations, the scanner is convenient. In emergencies, it saves lives, Bauer said to the StarHerald.
“(Patients) would have to be flown to Rapid City or Scottsbluff if we catch an aneurysm and least they’d be ready for them,” Stacy Anderson, radiology technologist at Gordon Memorial said in the story. “If we ship them and they don’t know what’s coming, then they have to do this when they get there and that delays the patient. People die. We save lives because of this machine.”
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Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.