Out with the old as Wolverhampton hospital set for new £1 million scanner
It weighs four-and-a-half tonnes, has undertaken 50,000 scans and has now disappeared through a second-floor removable panel.
The old MRI scanner at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital made quite the exit.
It is being replaced by a new MRI scanner and preparations for its entry are dominating the skyline.
Costing around £1 million, the new scanner will be hoisted by crane to lift it into place in radiology.
MRI scanners at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) are due to be replaced as they are eight years old, enabling the organisation to keep up to date with the latest advances in technology.
Glen Whitehouse, group manager for diagnostic services, said: “At RWT we have a structured replacement programme through our partnership with Medipass Healthcare.
“This means our patients can be confident they will always be imaged on some of the latest and most advanced equipment.”
The old scanner was slid out of an external access panel on to a reinforced scaffolding pad, then crane-lifted into a waiting lorry to be either sold on or used for parts.
Called an Ambition BlueSeal, the new scanner has been made by Philips Healthcare and has the same wide bore (70cm) design to offer patients the best scanning experience.
The ever-evolving digital imaging technology also promises to deliver improved image quality and resolution, alongside shorter scan times.
Unlike a traditional scanner, the new model doesn’t require large quantities of helium, which is important because natural sources of helium are starting to run low.
It is also a much greener solution as its energy requirements to maintain the high-field strength magnet are far lower.
Medipass has also gifted the trust a light-up ceiling skyscape feature designed to help patients relax while on the scanner.
