Local

New medical scanner offers faster photos

By ANDIE LEATHERMAN, LTN Staff Writer

March 29, 2002 - Physicians are literally getting a better look at patients at Lincoln Medical Center.

The hospital just purchased a $350,000 Siemens E-Cam nuclear medicine camera.

The camera can perform heart, bone, liver and gallbladder scans, according to John Shelton, director of LMC’s imagining department.

The new scanner replaces an older unit which took double the time to do many procedures. Bone scans which once took 30 minutes to an hour now take 15 to 20 minutes. Cardiac stress tests now take 2-1/2 hours. Before, the procedure took four to five hours. The camera has an adjustable table which makes it easier for patients to lay down.

“We love it. We get patients in and out quicker. It has definitely helped the patients,” said Lisa Scarbro, a nuclear medicine technician who works with the camera.

The new camera also means more tests can be done in Lincolnton. Previously, some doctors referred cardiac tests to Gastonia.

For Dr. Karen Cloninger, a cardiologist with the Sanger Clinic, having the camera close at hand is a blessing.

“I’m real pleased to have it here. It’s a great sign of progress,” she said.

Many of her elderly patients are just as pleased. For this population, driving to Gastonia can sometimes be stressful. For others who now don’t drive, having the technology close by makes it easier to find transportation.

The camera is a real benefit when Cloninger’s patients are at LMC.

“It improves the amount of information I can get on in-patients. It’s very important with my evaluation of inpatients,” she said.

The camera is also a boon to LMC’s bottom line, officials say. It will pay for itself in approximately one year, according to Teresa Watson, a vice-president at LMC.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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