BRMC Begins Cardiac MRIs
To supplement the cardiac imaging capabilities for The Heart Center at BRMC, Bradford Regional Medical Center is now performing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the region’s cardiac patients.
“The cardiac MRI is the gold standard for evaluation of heart volumes, valvular heart disease, and myocardial viability,” said Steven C. Herrmann, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.S.E., medical director of Cardiovascular Services at The Heart Center at BRMC. “This level of imaging expertise is usually reserved for university and academic programs, and we are the only place for over 100 miles to offer this expertise,” noted Dr. Herrmann.
“The cardiac MRI program will be used in conjunction with the echocardiography, nuclear, and catheterization labs to offer the absolute finest cardiac imaging in the region. The spatial and temporal resolution is amazing,” the cardiologist explained.
To date, BRMC has performed four cardiac MRIs on local patients, and is now collecting preliminary data on correlations between the echocardiography and nuclear labs.
Dr. Mark Welch, BRMC’s lead radiologist in the Department of Diagnostic Imaging, will be interpreting the MRI scans for The Heart Center at BRMC. “Cardiac MRI provides incredible detail and clinical information about the heart to aide in diagnosis and therapeutic decisions,” he said. “We can now see areas of the heart and make calculations on blood flow and volumes like never before. This is cutting-edge technology for the patients of our region,” Dr. Welch said.
It takes little time to complete this highly accurate test. “A cardiac MRI is non-invasive and takes about 20 minutes to perform,” said Tim Brown, BRMC’s administrative director of Imaging and Cardiovascular Service. “Patients receive no radiation for the exam or contrast dye that can result in kidney failure or allergic reactions. As a result, this is a very safe test for patients to have,” Mr. Brown said.
However, patients with pacemakers or defibrillators are not candidates for a cardiac MRI.
In order to have a cardiac MRI, patients must have a physician referral, Mr. Brown added. The first step to perform cardiac MRIs began in March when BRMC installed a new Open-Bore MAGNETOM Espree MRI unit from Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc. for $1.7 million. Following intensive staff training, BRMC started conducting MRIs for patients in mid-April. With further training, cardiac MRIs began being performed.
“The cardiac MRI is the gold standard for evaluation of heart volumes, valvular heart disease, and myocardial viability,” said Steven C. Herrmann, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.S.E., medical director of Cardiovascular Services at The Heart Center at BRMC. “This level of imaging expertise is usually reserved for university and academic programs, and we are the only place for over 100 miles to offer this expertise,” noted Dr. Herrmann.
“The cardiac MRI program will be used in conjunction with the echocardiography, nuclear, and catheterization labs to offer the absolute finest cardiac imaging in the region. The spatial and temporal resolution is amazing,” the cardiologist explained.
To date, BRMC has performed four cardiac MRIs on local patients, and is now collecting preliminary data on correlations between the echocardiography and nuclear labs.
Dr. Mark Welch, BRMC’s lead radiologist in the Department of Diagnostic Imaging, will be interpreting the MRI scans for The Heart Center at BRMC. “Cardiac MRI provides incredible detail and clinical information about the heart to aide in diagnosis and therapeutic decisions,” he said. “We can now see areas of the heart and make calculations on blood flow and volumes like never before. This is cutting-edge technology for the patients of our region,” Dr. Welch said.
It takes little time to complete this highly accurate test. “A cardiac MRI is non-invasive and takes about 20 minutes to perform,” said Tim Brown, BRMC’s administrative director of Imaging and Cardiovascular Service. “Patients receive no radiation for the exam or contrast dye that can result in kidney failure or allergic reactions. As a result, this is a very safe test for patients to have,” Mr. Brown said.
However, patients with pacemakers or defibrillators are not candidates for a cardiac MRI.
In order to have a cardiac MRI, patients must have a physician referral, Mr. Brown added. The first step to perform cardiac MRIs began in March when BRMC installed a new Open-Bore MAGNETOM Espree MRI unit from Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc. for $1.7 million. Following intensive staff training, BRMC started conducting MRIs for patients in mid-April. With further training, cardiac MRIs began being performed.
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