Canon CT enables Blackpool Victoria Hospital to diagnose and treat complex cardiac cases

Blackpool Victoria Hospital has installed Canon Medical’s Aquilion One/Insight Edition with the Instinx platform to help diagnose and treat patients with heart or circulatory disease. The hospital scans around 4,500 patients a month, including over 50 cardiac patients weekly.

The Aquilion One/Insight Edition improves image quality, optimises workflow and enables Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s team of 38 CT radiographers to provide specialist regional care for patients, especially those with complex heart conditions. The CT upgrade supports the hospital’s role as a tertiary cardiac centre for Lancashire and Cumbria, where the team handles a high volume of cases from across north-west England.

“The new scanner is truly transformative for our cardiac service,” said CT imaging manager Ben Ward. “The Aquilion One/Insight Edition offers four times the resolution of our previous system, and the faster rotation time of 0.24 seconds can capture images of the whole heart in a single heartbeat, even in patients with complex arrhythmias. Staff also genuinely enjoy working with the new scanner; it’s easy to use and our self-contained cardiac unit is a lovely environment to be in.”

Canon Medical’s Instinx platform offers a modern, user-centred design that is said to reduce training time and maximise scanner uptime. Its drag-and-drop protocol interface and real-time workflow adjustments have brought new levels of efficiency and confidence to the hospital’s CT team, the company says.
The trust has two additional Canon Medical Aquilion Prime SP CT scanners installed, one in its emergency department and another in a mobile community diagnostic centre, helping to address acute and outpatient diagnostic needs, including fast-track cancer referrals.

Read this report on page 18 of the August 2025 issue of RAD Magazine.