October 8, 2019
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Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital is pleased to announce this month’s installation of a new computerized tomography (CT) scanner built to provide high-quality images quickly and to reduce the need for patient transfer from Smithville to surrounding cities.
CT scans play an important role in patient care. They are crucial to the diagnosis of many cancers, the detection of various internal injuries, the evaluation of many infections, and the pre-procedural planning for some surgeries. Replacing a scanner that is more than 15 years old, the new GE Healthcare 16 slice Gold Optima CT scanner will require less down time than its predecessor and will improve patient wait times.
DeKalb’s considerable investment in this technology is a product of its increasing commitment to providing options for stroke patients. The new model can provide early diagnosis of hemorrhagic stroke, enabling intervention methods like the administration of “clot busting” medications to patients experiencing acute stroke.
“This new scanner will allow Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital to improve service to our community by providing us with images much faster,” said Bradley Mullinax, Chief Administrative Officer, Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital. “With this new equipment, we can serve more people at a greater speed.”
Scanner maintenance and servicing will take place in-house at Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital, allowing for near-continuous use.
ABOUT ASCENSION SAINT THOMAS HEALTH
In Tennessee, Ascension’s Saint Thomas Health operates nine hospitals in addition to a comprehensive network of affiliated joint ventures, medical practices, clinics and rehabilitation facilities that cover a 68-county area and employ more than 8,000 associates. Across the state, Saint Thomas Health provided more than $127 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2018. Serving Tennessee for 15 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system, operating more than 2,600 sites of care – including 151 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities – in 21 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.sthealth.com.