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Siemens Healthcare 's MAGNETOM Avanto kicks off new imaging facilities for the community

Staff at WatfordGeneralHospital, part of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, are celebrating the arrival of a MAGNETOM Avanto 1.5 Tesla MRI from Siemens Healthcare.  The system is the first MRI scanner to be based at the hospital and only the second in West Hertfordshire.  It was officially unveiled in a ribbon cutting ceremony by Jay DeMerit, captain of Watford Football Club and goalkeeper Scott Loach.  The Trust’s Chairman, Professor Thomas Hanahoe, Chief Executive, Jan Filochowski, hospital staff and patient panel representatives were also in attendance.

With the Avanto in place, inpatients will no longer have to make the eight mile journey to Hemel HempsteadHospital for MRI scans.  It is expected to increase the number of patients who have scans, which will help ease waiting lists in the area and reduce the length of hospital stay for patients.

The system has been installed in the hospital’s x-ray department, converting what was once an old storage room into a new state-of-the-art facility.  It will be used for general musculoskeletal, neurological, breast and renal scanning. 

“The Avanto was chosen following a detailed tender process because it ideally suits the clinical needs of our department,” said Sue Daniels, Radiology Services Manager at WatfordGeneralHospital.  “It is a big step forward for the local community to have an MRI system in place at Watford.  We are aiming to reduce waiting times for scans from six weeks down to two weeks, which in turn will help the Trust meet its overall target of 18 weeks from referral to treatment.  Although scanning has only begun recently, staff have already been impressed with the Avanto’s ease-of-use and high image quality.”

“We are very pleased the Avanto was chosen as the first MRI scanner for WatfordGeneralHospital and that it will increase access to scanning services in the community,” said Andreas Hadjiphanis, Regional Sales Manager at Siemens Healthcare .  “Inpatients will no longer need to be transferred for their scans and the system’s fast image acquisition and high quality will provide better results for diagnosis.”

Source: Siemens Healthcare

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