Kentville’s MRI arrives

By Patty Mintz



With all of the excitement and expectancy surrounding its impending arrival, it’s surprising a stork wasn’t used to deliver Valley Regional Hospital’s new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

Instead, last Wednesday, Nov. 29, the delicate cutting edge diagnostic tool was lowered gently through an opening in the roof of a specially-constructed, copper-shielded suite by a huge mechanical crane.

Project manager Peter Zwicker said the delivery was right on the mark of a self-imposed schedule. “To quote the old A Team, I love it when a plan comes together. We met the first benchmark we had to meet. We had to have certain things done – the floor down, interior finishing – by the 29th.�

The next stage is delivery of the electronic components for the unit. The official start-up will help ring in the New Year.

“We’re hoping that if everyone is on schedule we’ll be up and running for the public the first part of January,� said Zwicker.

Work on the approximately 62-ft. by 32-ft. suite began in early fall. Initially, the site was tested for possible sources of interference, for example power lines or large trucks.

Zwicker says transporting the 13,000-pound machine from North Carolina to Nova Scotia required care. “Apparently there were (lower) speed limits the truck had to travel.�

The project brought home to Nova Scotia two seasoned MRI technologists: Lynda Vidito, who arrived from Calgary on Sept. 1, and Sherry Fielding, who came from Toronto in May. The two were delighted to see the new MRI they would be working with pull into view tied to the back of an enormous flatbed truck. Both originally from Nova Scotia, the women were visibly excited.

“We’ve been looking forward to this. It’s a very exciting day for us,� said Vidito.

The unit, purchased from GE Healthcare based in the U.S., will be available for use by anyone in the province, but patients from the Valley and South Shore are the primary target.

Vidito predicts she and Fielding will scan on average 10 people a day.

“We may start out a little slower than that as we work out the kinks.� She says a routine brain scan takes 20 minutes to half-an-hour while a cardiac patient can expect to spend an hour to an hour-and-a-half being scanned.

The two have been busy prioritizing the hundreds of requisitions they have received since October. As of last Wednesday, there were 457 requests, with more arriving daily.

“We were sent requisitions (from Halifax) that they received in April and they hadn’t been scheduled yet,� says Vidito. “Obviously, it takes a big chunk of the waiting list away, and people are not going to have the travel time,� or costs.

Patient John Lindsay of North Alton, who is waiting for an MRI to assess a liver problem, expressed his relief.

“I’m quite pleased to have it local. I work for myself and it’s not easy to take half a day or a day off to go to the city.�

Valley Regional’s is one of six new MRI units purchased by the province to expedite diagnostic testing, which could lead to quicker treatment. Hospitals in Yarmouth and New Glasgow have already received their new MRIs. Antigonish is scheduled to get theirs early next year. Halifax is having two of its aging machines replaced.

In the meantime, fundraising to help foot the bill for the approximately $3 million project is full speed ahead.

Gerry MacIsaac, Valley Regional Hospital Foundation executive director, said, “We have a commitment to pay 25 per cent of the total. Our share is $800,000. Quite a bit has been raised (since April 2005) and with this year’s campaign we’re expecting to be over $500,000.�

Singing for Wellness, designated donations and the upcoming Festival of Lights Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. in the hospital lobby all help boost the coffers.

“We really appreciate the community support, however, we’re not there yet. We still have about $300,000 to raise,� said MacIsaac.





K: SIDEBAR

K: MRI in a nutshell



According to information supplied by Annapolis Valley Health, MRI – Magnetic Resonance Imaging – is a sophisticated technique used to look inside the body. It uses a powerful magnet and radio waves to construct detailed images that can be used to diagnose a wide range of medical conditions affecting soft tissue structures and organs in the body.

The procedure produces cross-sectional images of the body, much like slices of bread. By collecting a series of these images, MRI can create a multidimensional view of the body.