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Technicians don’t use lead screens.
BOARDMAN
Low-dose radiation and table-side operation by the hospital technician are two features of Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley’s new digital X-ray technology.
“Because the radiation dose is 75 percent less than a traditional X-ray, we don’t have to stand behind a lead screen when administering a digital X-ray. It is quick and we can be right there with the child,” said Sandra Scott, radiology and patient access manager.
“We follow the protocol of imaging gently, and this new equipment furthers that goal,” she said.
Scott said Akron Children’s Mahoning Valley has joined an elite group of U.S. hospitals offering advanced diagnostic imaging technology by installing the Kalare digital X-ray system from Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.
In addition to limiting exposure to radiation during X-rays, the new technology enables physicians to conduct a wide range of X-ray studies, she said.
For example, physicians have the ability to use a single X-ray system to capture images within a matter of minutes for a quick and accurate diagnosis.
Also, the system can accommodate numerous studies, including general diagnostic, gastrointestinal examinations, myelography (a procedure that combines dye with X-rays to evaluate problems with the spine that CT scans and an MRI might not detect), and nonvascular interventional radiography (minimally invasive interventional radiology procedures that do not involve blood vessels, in which the physician uses imaging technology to guide instruments inside the body without open surgery).
The Kalare system’s wide-ranging capabilities provides an opportunity for Akron Children’s to better accommodate patient needs by offering a variety of exams, including general radiography, angiography and other advanced procedures, Scott said.
The greater efficiency offered by the Kalare system is enhanced by the EPS Plus Digital Imaging System. The EPS Plus is designed to increase productivity, shorten exam times and reduce the costs of film, handling and storage associated with conventional radiography. The system improves access to X-ray images and speeds the delivery of critical information to physicians providing care to patients, she said.
The new equipment and room to accommodate it cost about $380,000, which was funded by the Kikel Charitable Trust.
Akron Children’s Mahoning Valley, 6505 Market St., was made a beneficiary of the estate of the Kikel sisters, Angela, Jenny and Josephine.
The first distribution to Akron Children’s was $1,070,000 in 2011 and was used for radiology department upgrade; and the second gift, in 2012, was $379,096, said JoAnn Stock, hospital director of development.
“The Kikel Trust has been very generous. It has funded a lot of equipment that has made a world of difference to our patients,” she said.
Akron Children’s Mahoning Valley Beeghly Campus in Boardman is a 32-bed pediatric hospital with a 24/7 emergency department and a hematology/oncology clinic and infusion center and child-advocacy center. Also based in the Mahoning Valley are a neonatal intensive-care unit, neonatal special care nursery and numerous pediatric specialty practices.
In a related matter, Dr. David W. McDonald of North Lima has joined the Radiology Department at Akron Children’s Mahoning Valley.
Board certified in diagnostic radiology with a certificate of additional qualification in pediatric radiology, Dr. McDonald earned his bachelor of science degree at Youngstown State University and his medical degree from Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine in Rootstown. He completed a residency and served as chief resident at Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, N.J., and completed a pediatric radiology fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.