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Any parent’s fear is the possibility of a beloved child suffering through the confusion and pain of a life threatening injury.

The Reges family of Potomac, Maryland, lived that reality for almost 2 months. Thankfully, their child had a full recovery. Most parents would attempt to place such an experience in the farthest recesses of their memory, but the Reges family saw an opportunity to ease the agony for future parents and as a result, patients at the Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC) now have the benefit of the first portable computerized tomography (CT) scanner in our nation’s capital.

On March 8th, 2007, Mark and Sara Reges’ eight year old son, Charles, was struck by a car. He was airlifted to CNMC and diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), a broken leg and a bruised lung. These injuries necessitated multiple serial X-Ray studies and each time the transport decision to Radiology for a head CT scan was made, the Reges family and the medical team at CNMC understood the added clinical dangers to Charles.

According to a Cleveland Clinic study published in the March/April issue of the Journal of the American Healthcare Radiology Administrators, there is a 13% morbidity associated with transporting critically-ill patients outside of the ICU. The incidence of adverse events during transport specifically for CT imaging is as high as 71%.

Reflecting on her experience, Sara Reges said, “As a nurse and a mother I knew that I had to do something. The risks inherent in removing our critically ill son from life support and transporting him from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) to Radiology and back was almost unbearable. I felt I had to do something. It means everything to me both as a mother and a nurse.”

The Reges’ passion led them to organize a charitable campaign involving friends, family and other motivated organizations which has allowed CNMC to install their first CereTom Portable CT scanner on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009.

The CereTom is a compact, lightweight, portable, high speed, battery and line powered multi-slice CT scanner optimized for scanning head and neck. It is true patient centered technology capable of delivering the highest quality Non-Contrast, Angiography and Contrast Perfusion scans in any conceivable hospital location, including the Intensive Care Unit.

Dr. Robert F. Keating, Department of Neurosurgery states, “We anticipate the portability of the CereTom to vastly improve our ability to offer timely diagnosis of intracranial disease processes outside the radiological suite (floor, PICU, ICU) as well as offer additional ability to perform “real-time imaging” in the intraoperative setting. This tool changes the practice of neurosurgery as we currently know it.”

“The thought that critically ill children at CNMC no longer have to be subjected to the risks associated with transport to and from PICU in order to obtain necessary clinical information makes good sense,” says Sara Reges. “It has helped us close this chapter in our life knowing that two things good have come from something so horrific. First, we are extremely grateful to staff at CNMC for allowing Charles a full and complete recovery. Secondly, we believe that the CereTom will ease the fears of future parents by decreasing the frequency of transport out of the safe cocoon that is the PICU and in so doing, will allow necessary imaging studies to be done more quickly and more cost effectively.”

The scanner has been used several times at CNMC during the past week including in ICU’s and the Operating rooms.

“The Reges family inspires all of us in the way they’ve made it their cause to ensure that other children do not go through the pain and uncertainty that their child did,” says Senator John Kerry (D, MA). “It is humbling to see so many different people and organizations come together for the greater good. I am extremely proud of the stellar team at NeuroLogica for its dedication to providing access to medical imaging to families everywhere.”

About Children’s National Medical Center

Children’s National Medical Center is the only exclusive provider of pediatric care in the metropolitan Washington area and is the only freestanding children’s hospital between Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Norfolk, and Atlanta. Serving the nation’s children for more than 130 years, Children’s National is a proven leader in the development and application of innovative new treatments for childhood illness and injury.

Children’s internationally recognized team of pediatric healthcare professionals care for more than 360,000 patients each year who come from throughout the region, nation and world. Serving as an advocate for all children, Children’s is the largest non-governmental provider of pediatric care in the District of Columbia, providing more than $50 million in uncompensated care. In addition, Children's serves as the regional referral center for pediatric emergency, trauma, cancer, cardiac and critical care as well as neonatology, orthopaedic surgery, neurology, and neurosurgery.

Children’s National is proudly ranked consistently among the best pediatric hospitals in America by US News & World Report.

About NeuroLogica

NeuroLogica Corporation, located in the Boston metro area, develops, manufactures and markets innovative medical imaging equipment for healthcare facilities and private practices worldwide. Established in 2004, NeuroLogica’s founders have over 100 years of combined experience in the design, development and manufacturing of imaging systems including ultrasound, CT, PET, radiation therapy and MRI. Corporate information, clinical images, customer stories, etc. can be found on NeuroLogica’s website at www.neurologica.com.

Source: http://www.businesswire.com