Warren Memorial Hospital Takes Delivery of “Magnetic” Proportions

New Fixed MRI Will Begin Service in January

Earlier this month, Valley Health Warren Memorial Hospital advanced toward a new era of medical imaging with the installation of a massive, 4.5 ton magnet that will drive the hospital’s first fixed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. It will replace a mobile unit the hospital has used for a number of years.

On Saturday, November 6, subcontractors used rigging apparatus and a crane to carefully lift the nearly 9,000-pound magnet from a flatbed trailer and maneuver it through a 10 ft x 10 ft opening in the new hospital’s exterior wall to rest in the Medical Imaging Department on Level Two.

After assembly, the new machine will be tested thoroughly before it begins service on January 3, 2022.

“We’re thrilled to be able to bring this advanced medical imaging technology to our community,” notes James Ziner, RT(R)(MR), director of medical imaging at Warren Memorial Hospital. “We have had MRI services here, but availability was limited because it was a mobile unit shared with other hospitals. Now, our patients will have more consistent access to MRI services,” he says, adding that the new magnet is faster, more reliable and offers a more comfortable patient experience.

The new Magnetom Altea is a 1.5 Tesla Open Bore system by Siemens® that takes advantage of the latest technology, including artificial intelligence, automation and accelerated imaging techniques that dramatically reduce exam times. Specially-designed bio-matrix tuners automatically adjust to each individual to produce highly consistent results from patient to patient and exam to exam, including neurological, orthopedic, abdominal and whole-body images.

MRI uses a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves to create detailed images of organs and tissues in the body, helping providers diagnose disease and injury. “MRI is an extremely useful tool, especially in emergency medicine,” says Hussein Zughaib, MD, a physician who has been with Warren Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Department for more than two years. “When patients come into the emergency department, whether they are experiencing a stroke or suffering from low back pain, a number of decisions need to be made, urgently, to properly diagnose and begin the most effective course of treatment. MRI is the gold standard, particularly for investigating conditions that affect soft tissue,” he explains.

Warren’s new MRI also has a built-in “infotainment” system that helps reduce machine-related noise, and the lightweight, breathable coil table is more comfortable and supportive, all of which helps ease anxiety and improve the overall patient experience.

To learn more about Medical Imaging services available at Warren Memorial Hospital and throughout Valley Health’s service area, visit www.valleyhealthlink.com/medicalimaging.