— Westfield Memorial Hospital, part of the Allegheny Health Network, has announced it has recently upgraded its diagnostic capabilities with the 64-slice Perspective CT scanner from Siemens Medical Solutions. The Perspective offers the ability to expand the range of available examinations to patients while reducing radiation dose by up to 60 percent.

“In our continued efforts to deliver enhanced imaging and the best patient care, our new scanner incorporates higher-level imaging, dose-reduction technologies and patient-centric features that streamline the scan, making for a comfortable and relaxed patient experience” said Lara Whitesell, radiology supervisor at Westfield Memorial.

The Siemens Perspective can image all body regions and is able to detect small diagnostic details by using information from 64 slices. The open design of the unit and its Illumination MoodlightTM LED lighting system, which offers peaceful mood lighting, allow for a more relaxing experience for patients who are claustrophobic or experience anxiety.

Low-dose kidney stone imaging and low-dose lung screenings for smokers are also available on this unit.

The unit also requires patients to hold their breath for shorter lengths of time, thereby decreasing the need for rescans.

The new Siemens unit uses Fully Assisting Scanner Technologies (FAST) that help simplify and automate time-consuming processes, thus supporting the WMH clinical team at every stage of the CT examination, enabling them to spend more time addressing the needs of our patients.

The scheduling number for the WMH 64-slice scanner is 793-2221.

About Westfield Memorial Hospital

The Westfield Memorial Hospital ED provides care to approximately 7,500 patients every year. In addition to emergency care, the hospital provides an array of services, including ambulatory and short stay surgery, outpatient diagnostic services, imaging, women’s diagnostic services with digital mammography, laboratory, diabetes education, nuclear stress testing, wound and infusion clinics, inpatient care, laser eye surgery, a sleep lab, and a specialty services suite that includes general surgery, orthopedics, cardiology and diversified hearing services. WMH also provides primary care services at both WMH and at the Chautauqua Institution.