Toronto General Hospital has outfitted a CT suite with twin scanners situated nearly side-by-side in an innovation that, according to the 471-bed institution, makes it the first facility in the world to use advanced imaging to speed the translation of medical research into clinical care.
The layout features twin Toshiba CT units, manned from inside a single control room, to give clinicians “the unique opportunity to expedite the transfer of research findings from one CT into clinical use on the other scanner,” according to a news release from University Health Network, which operates Toronto General and its Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, where the suite is housed.
The installation marks the first time a CT duet has been “dedicated to taking research findings and putting them immediately into clinical care,” said Narinder Paul, MD, the hospital’s division chief of cardiothoracic imaging, in a taped interview. “We think this is going to make a fundamental change in patient care and patient management.”
University Health added that the integrated platform lowers patients’ exposure to radiation by producing more detailed images and reducing the need for additional scans.
The health system noted that, traditionally, the timeline for having validated research adopted into clinical practice spans several months and, in many cases, years.
To view the interview video, click here.
Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.