Heart disease is the leading killer of Americans and is a significant health issue in our region. Aroostook County residents will soon have access to powerful, non-invasive technology that can help detect clogged arteries and other conditions and diseases in a matter of minutes.

The Aroostook Medical Center, with financial support from EMHS, will purchase and install a 64-slice CT scanner at A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital this fall. "This new technology will benefit our patients right away," said David Peterson, President/CEO of The Aroostook Medical Center. "Healthcare providers will have access to another powerful tool to help with diagnosing conditions and diseases. Scans with the new unit will be very fast and non-invasive, so patient comfort will be improved."

CT scanning, also called computed tomography scanning or CAT scanning, uses x-ray equipment to capture very detailed images of the heart, brain, abdomen, and other parts of the body. The images collected during the scan are interpreted by a powerful computer to create three-dimensional views of the area of the body being studied. Healthcare providers can use these images to help diagnose a wide range of diseases and conditions.

The Aroostook Medical Center currently has a 16-slice scanner. Inside of the doughnut-shaped tube on the outside of this scanner, x-ray detectors spin rapidly around the body and capture "slices" of information that are compiled to create images. These images are read by a physician and can assist with diagnosing conditions and diseases. With each rotation of the x-ray detectors, 16 slices of the body covering a total distance of eight millimeters are captured. The new 64-slice scanner will capture 64 slices covering a total distance of 32 millimeters with each rotation. Since 64-slice scanners capture slices of the body four times larger than what's possible with a 16-slice scanner, The Aroostook Medical Center's new CT scanner will capture images in a shorter amount of time.

The 16-slice unit provides images that are useful in diagnosing many medical procedures, but the new 64-slice scanner will provide exceptionally detailed images, making more advanced heart studies possible. Most procedures can be completed in a matter of a few minutes, and if the results indicate a problem, the primary care provider receives the information the same day.

The new scanner will enable patients who have symptoms of heart disease to work with their healthcare providers to choose between non-invasive CT scanning or cardiac catheterization. An invasive procedure, cardiac catheterization involves the insertion of a small tube, called a catheter, in the leg. After being guided to the heart, an x-ray procedure is used to assess the condition of the arteries. In many cases, the 64-slice scanner will be able to provide the physician with the same types of images that are currently being obtained with cardiac catheterization.

"CT scanning is a highly technical, non-invasive procedure," said Tim McMahon, Senior Manager of Cardiopulmonary and Imaging Services at The Aroostook Medical Center. "Diagnosing heart disease will be much faster and there is no recovery time for patients. From advanced CT scanning and cardiac catheterization to pacemaker insertion and cardiac rehabilitation, many patients will be able to have their needs met in one place."

Almost 600 exams each month are currently completed on the 16-slice scanner, and all of these exams will be done on the new 64-slice scanner as soon as it is operational. Initially, about 30 additional patients will receive heart scans each month on the new unit. For many patients, cardiac catheterization will continue to be necessary, and Dr. Najam Awan will continue to provide the procedure in The McCain Cardiovascular Lab. The shift in three patients a day from the cardiovascular lab to the imaging center where the new CT scanner will be housed is expected to open up the lab for pacemaker insertions and vascular procedures of the arms and legs. These procedures will be offered by Dr. Awan, Dr. Mahendra Sheth, and Dr. Michael Levy, a cardiothoracic surgeon who recently moved to Aroostook County after serving as Chief of Cardiac & Thoracic Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago.

But the benefits of the new 64-slice scanner extend beyond the heart. The incredible level of detail contained in the images will help healthcare providers detect very small lung tumors, assess damage caused by brain aneurysms and tumors, and diagnose problems with almost any organ in the body. And since scans are fast and non-invasive, patient comfort is improved.

"The arrival of the 64-slice scanner means that some invasive diagnostic procedures will no longer be necessary," added McMahon. For patients, this means less discomfort, and in many cases, it saves the expense and time of a trip to Bangor."

The Aroostook Medical Center's 16-slice scanner, which is currently housed at A.R. Gould, will be moved to the hospital's radiation oncology suite and will be used to plan for radiation therapy treatments. The scanner will also remain available as a backup for times when the 64-slice unit is unavailable.

Funds to purchase the new 64-slice scanner will come from a pool set up for EMHS member hospitals to use for major purchases that the hospitals might otherwise not be able to afford. Each hospital in the system contributes to the pool each year, and projects that will have the most benefit for patients are funded.

"Patients have access to this level of technology right here in Aroostook County because we are a part of EMHS," added Peterson. "With a partner like EMHS, we can continue to offer services that are not usually available in rural areas like cardiac catheterization, radiation therapy, acute inpatient rehab, sleep medicine, and soon, 64-slice CT scanning."

A vendor for the new scanner will be chosen by the end of September, and it's expected that the technology will be in use before December.

The Aroostook Medical Center is a member of EMHS. EMHS stands behind its members as a tireless advocate so that both immediate and ongoing healthcare services will be available when and where they are needed.