THE innovations in the medical field is most certainly brought about by necessity especially wanting to get better results while hastening procedures so as to lessen radiation exposure for the patients.
With the modernization of equipment, specifically of the Radiology Department of Davao Doctors Hospital (DDH), the question "How can this affect the patient?" is always a central concern.
In an interview with DDH Assistant Director for Ancillary Services Joseph Michael Nepomuceno, he shared the modern technologies and equipment their hospital has acquired for the last two years which tremendously helped fasten the results and somehow assist with the patients in pain.
GE 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
This equipment was acquired by DDH in 2017. As compared to their previous .3 Tesla MRI, this new equipment uses different coils including the coil specifically designed for breast MRI, making DDH the only hospital in Mindanao with that capacity.
Because of the magnetic non-ionizing component of the Breast MRI, it allows no radiation exposure to the patient thus assuring a safer procedure as compared to other mammography examinations. Also with this modern equipment, it allows more thorough and more ways of validation for the hospital as they now have complete procedures that the patient may need to go through depending on their condition. DDH now has Ultrasound Breast Imaging, Mammography, and now the Breast MRI.
Nepomuceno said they also assure that the results of the 1.5 Tesla MRI are clearer as compared to the .3 Tesla MRI. Further, the procedure time is lessened to 30 minutes from the previous 45 minutes to an hour.
The 1.5 Tesla MRI is not only intended for breast examination. By the first quarter of this year, staff and operator training will be done for cardiac MRI, still to be the first in Mindanao. They target to finally commence with the use of cardiac MRI by the second quarter of 2019.
SPEC CT Scan
This technology was acquired by the hospital in 2017. With this technology, they can now improve localization of cancer cells. The exact location will be detected giving way to a better mode of treatment.
According to Nepomuceno, this is commonly used for patients with cancer, thyroid problems, and those undergoing cardiac procedures. This is a more advanced version of the single gamma camera that is being used before with imaging modality that picks up from certain perspectives.
Just like the GE 1.5 Tesla MRI, SPEC CT Scan lessens the procedure time to 20-30 minutes from 45 minutes to an hour. During the entire procedure, the patients are requested to stay still. Because of this, even those in pain are to stay still for an hour at most. But because of the advanced and new technology, the procedure was shortened, allowing lesser time for the patient to endure.
Digital Mammography
With breast cancer consistently on the top 5 list as per the hospital's radiotherapy consensus, DDH vows to create a Breast Imaging Center that will allow patients to have everything they would possibly need when having their breast examined in the hospital. The goal is to have available technology needed to screen, diagnose, and manage breast cancer.
Second linear accelerator
Targeted to be launched by the last quarter of 2019, this technology contains 10 folds of therapeutic radiation as compared to radiotherapy and has the capacity to kill cancer cells. This equipment will primarily be used for treatment.
Patients with cancer or lumps for surgery may be advised to undergo therapeutic radiation to lessen the size of the mass before the actual surgery.
However, in some cases when the cancer cells have already advanced, the therapeutic radiation can be used to only ease the patient's pain. With the other modern technology the hospital has, they would want to avoid any more cases of advanced cancer which are beyond cure.