Southampton’s brain specialists perform scans and surgery at the bedside

Clinical lead neurointensive care Dr Roger Lightfoot, consultant neurointensive care Dr John Hell, MIS Healthcare sales manager Steve Henman, CT superintendent William Brake and MIS Healthcare account manager Barney Walker.

Brain specialists at Southampton’s university hospitals are the first in Europe to provide resuscitation, imaging and surgery at patients’ bedsides.

MIS Healthcare has installed a CereTom portable CT scanner at the hospital that enables point-of-care CT imaging, saving time as patients no longer need to be transported to an imaging suite.  Neurosurgeons can perform an emergency image-guided external ventricular drain, releasing fluid from the brain and reducing pressure on the skull.  Previously patients had to be transferred to a fixed CT scanner, accompanied by a consultant, medical technician and nurse, and then either to theatre for a ventricular drain or other emergency surgery dependent upon diagnosis.

Director of the neurointensive care unit Dr Roger Lightfoot said: “Timing is everything when it comes to neurological conditions.  Any deterioration needs to be diagnosed as quickly as possible so pressure can be taken off the brain rapidly to give the patient the best possible chance of a good recovery.  The portable CT scanner not only enables instant imaging, it means we no longer have to move critically ill patients away from the safety of the intensive care unit and we can perform emergency procedures at the bedside.  It really is a milestone in neurointensive care treatment.  We have been extremely pleased with the installation and support offered by MIS Healthcare which distributes the Samsung Neurologica CT systems.”

See the full report on page 2 of the March 2016 issue of RAD Magazine.