Hialeah, Fl – In its ongoing commitment to provide the best medical care to the community, Hialeah Hospital has announced  installation of the Aquilion^® 64 multi-detector row computed tomography (CT) scanner from Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. The Aquilion 64, the most advanced 64-detector row CT scanner available, is used for cardiac patients and for evaluating and treating trauma patients.

For cardiac use, the Aquilion 64 can capture superior, precise images of the heart, as patients take a single breath and hold it for just six to10 seconds.  These diagnostic images can help physicians check for suspected heart disease, often eliminating the need for invasive cardiac angiograms.

"We are now equipped to deliver high quality, noninvasive cardiac exams to our patients," explained Ralph Aleman, CEO of Hialeah Hospital. "The new scanner helps us detect signs of heart disease at its earliest stages by quickly and easily capturing images of the heart and coronary arteries. At the first sign of symptoms, we can quickly scan for blocked arteries to see if patients are at risk for a heart attack."

The Aquilion 64 is also used in evaluating and treating trauma patients. Its fast CT scans allow Hialeah to significantly increase its exam capacity – which can means more patients can receive treatment more rapidly.  Then, they can be referred to surgery or discharged.

In an emergency room, when seconds count, the Aquilion 64 scanner can allow physicians to quickly identify internal injuries and make confident diagnosis.

Aquilion 64 detector row CT, with its high-speed, high-resolution images,  allow physicians to capture precise images of any area of the body, including the rapidly moving heart and lungs. With the fastest scanning capability in the market, the system allows important diagnostic information concerning the heart to be obtained within a single breath-hold.

The Aquilion 64 is designed to offer physicians greater cardiovascular diagnostic capabilities while helping patients avoid more invasive medical procedures. The system delivers unmatched clinical images of the heart with multislice imaging technology. This technology captures up to 64 simultaneous anatomical slices of 0.5 mm in a single gantry rotation.

By contrast, in an invasive, lengthier cardiac angiogram (also called cardiac catheterization), patients have a tiny, hollow tube called a catheter inserted into their body in the groin area and threaded through to their heart's arteries in order to image the heart and blood vessels. In addition, to gather more information on the heart, sometimes X-ray pictures (angiograms) of the heart and blood vessels are made by injecting a dye into the bloodstream.

About Toshiba’s Aquilion CT Product Line Recognition
The Aquilion CT product line has received numerous accolades including the number-one ranking in CT from MD Buyline since 2002 (six consecutive years). The Aquilion CT line has also been named Best in KLAS in 2006 and 2007; Best in KLAS in 2008 for 64-detector row and above; and Frost & Sullivan’s "Healthcare Innovation Award in Cardiovascular Imaging" in 2008. Visit www.KLASresearch.com. Most recently, Toshiba’s service for the Aquilion line was ranked number one in 21 out of 34 ServiceTrak Imaging’s 2008 report on CT system service.

Multi-detector CT has dramatically improved clinicians' ability to accurately diagnose disease at an early stage. It is a powerful diagnostic tool that uses rotating X-rays to penetrate body tissues, generating multiple slice images, which can detect more than traditional radiography. The Aquilion family of premium CT systems feature Toshiba’s proprietary Quantum detector technology – the only detector able to acquire up to 160 0.5 slices simultaneously. With 4-, 8-, 16-, 32-, 64-, 160- and 320-detector row customizable configurations, the Aquilion CT systems deliver excellent image quality and provide outstanding performance and clinical productivity to meet the needs of any size hospital or clinic.

The Aquilion 64 is designed to offer physicians greater diagnostic capabilities which help patients avoid more invasive medical procedures. The system delivers clinical images with multislice imaging technology that captures up to 64 anatomical slices in a single rotation. In addition, the system’s sensitivity and accuracy are enhanced with a process called isotropic scanning, which results in images that most accurately capture equal views and angles of internal structures. As a result, Toshiba’s multislice technology captures precise images of the body’s rapidly moving organs like the heart and lungs, which appear blurry when scanned by a traditional CT. Multislice imaging also is especially useful for examining patients who are unable to hold their breath, like trauma victims, acutely ill patients and young children.

Hialeah Hospital, part of Tenet’s Florida region, is a 378-bed acute care hospital located at 651 East 25th Street in Hialeah.  The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of central to north Miami-Dade County since 1951.  Hialeah Hospital offers a broad range of health care services, including 24-hour emergency care, cardiology, neurosurgery, obstetrics, a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, laboratory, a surgical weight loss program that has been designated a Center of Excellence by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, a sleep disorders program, and a complement of imaging services.  Hialeah Hospital has earned a five-star rating and is ranked among the top five percent of hospitals in the nation for maternity care by HealthGrades, a health care quality ratings company.  Hialeah Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. 

About Toshiba

With headquarters in Tustin, Calif., Toshiba America Medical Systems markets, sells, distributes and services diagnostic imaging systems, and coordinates clinical diagnostic imaging research for all modalities in the U.S.. Toshiba Medical Systems Corp., an independent group company of Toshiba Corp., is a global leading provider of diagnostic medical imaging systems and comprehensive medical solutions, such as CT, Cath & EP Labs, X-ray, Ultrasound, MRI and information systems. Toshiba Corp. is a leader in information and communications systems, electronic components, consumer products, and power systems. Toshiba has approximately 198,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of $77 billion. Visit www.medical.toshiba.com.