CT Scanner
We have just announced our latest project following on from the opening of the Drop In Centre Over the next three months at a cost of £535,000 we will see the installation of a new CT Scanner funded by the Sick Kids Friends with huge support from a very generous family. The scanner will replace the one which we purchased in 1998, as technology has developed so much that this one is now well out of date and cannot deliver the best imaging to help our doctors to give accurate diagnosis and treatment.
The new scanner will be much quicker ... taking seconds rather than minutes for the whole process. This means that less children will have to be anaesthetised as they will not have to remain absolutely still for any great length of time and that they will receive a much smaller doseage of radiation. The scanner can cover a wider range of conditions because of its advanced technology and will be able to scan children who have previously had to go to the Royal Infirmary for such imaging recently. It will help with children who have a wide range of conditions from cancer and cystic fibrosis to children with brain injuries and every year around children will benefit from the scans it will carry out. The precision of the images which it will provide will enable clinicians to pin point areas for treatment with a far greater degree of accuracy than has previously been possible.
"At present, a quarter of children and young people undergoing CT scanning require a general anaesthetic, as they cannot stay still, or hold their breath, for the length of time that is needed for the scan." said consultant Radiologist Maeve McPhillips. "The latest generation of CT scanners are so much faster that scans can be done in under a minute. There will be much less need for anaesthesia, and breathless respiratory or young oncology patients can still have scans showing excellent detail. There are risks associated with general anaesthesia, so it is better to avoid its use where possible." The new CT Scanner, which will be installed by the autumn will cost around £535,000 to purchase and install. We are very grateful to a kind family who have donated the cost of the equipment to us. Their generosity will have a tremendous benefit for children for may years to come. Now we are raising the extra funds required for the installation of the equipment and the decoration of the room where it will be ... it really is so important that the surroundings are child-friendly and give young patients of all ages something interesting to look at and think about while they are having their scan done.
Our Chairman Graeme Millar CBE commented "We are very grateful to the public who are helping us to raise the funds needed for this project and delighted to provide this new technology which means that the children treated at the hospital can benefit from the best that we can provide for them."
