A combination of imaging systems from Siemens Healthcare is helping Southmead Hospital, Bristol, UK, to achieve its aim of becoming a leading provider of health services in Europe. With the hospital’s new £430m Brunel building offering pioneering treatment within state-of-the-art facilities, Siemens technology is increasing the speed of patient assessment and enabling elevated levels of patient throughput.
Southmead Hospital, part of North Bristol NHS Trust, is now utilising a selection of Siemens imaging systems, including the Artis zee biplane, Artis Zee MP and Artis Q Ceiling with a Maquet operating table within a Hybrid Operating Room environment supporting a wide range of clinical examinations and interventions. Seven high-end digital radiography Ysio systems are providing general X-ray imaging. The addition of this technology has facilitated rapid imaging—essential to a busy hospital that sees more than 400,000 patients annually.
“Ensuring that the highest levels of service were maintained during the successful transfer to the new Brunel Building was of paramount importance to us and patients are now experiencing sizeable benefits at our extensive and all-encompassing site,” states Bob Robson, imaging services manager at Southmead Hospital. “The imaging technology from Siemens has significantly improved patient flow, and the ability to see images immediately and make a swift, detailed assessment has led to sizeable efficiency gains.”
The Artis systems are being used by clinicians for a range of neuroradiology, vascular radiology, trauma and cardiac diagnostic procedures, while the Ysio technology is supporting trauma, orthopaedics, general medicine and outpatient clinics.
“Siemens’ diagnostic technology was selected for its reliability and ease-of-use, a significant benefit given that over 130 radiographers rely on it on a 24/7 basis,” adds Robson. “The digital radiography element provided by the Ysio systems has been highly advantageous, enabling us to significantly improve patient throughput levels.”
The Artis systems provide clinicians with the benefits of a large flat detector and a streamlined tableside control panel featuring intuitive syngo icons, offering the operator increased functionality. The systems are also equipped with the latest CARE (combined applications to reduce exposure) features and CLEAR post processing technology, supporting excellent image quality at the desired dose. In addition, Siemens’ high-end digital radiography Ysio system offers advances that enable clinicians to achieve enhanced image quality, with other key benefits including swift image acquisition time, low dose features and the lightweight wireless detector that enables easy examination of a range of patients.
