Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) here today claimed that it is the first hospital in the country to use the GE's silent Scan technology for improving patient comfort.
A conventional MR scanner can produce 110 dBA (decibels) rivlling noise from a steel mill or aircraft engine or heavy traffic noise on the roads. The new scan reduces scanner noise to near ambient sound levels, Dr Karthik Kuppuswamy, Senior Director, MRI Imaging, G E Healthcare South Asia and Dr Sreekumar Moorthy, Head of the Radiology department, AIMS told a press meet here.
Moorthy said acoustic noise is one of the biggest complaints of patients- especially elderly and children, who undergo MRI scanning. Combining that with the small bore sizes of conventional MRIs makes patients claustrophobic. Every small movement the patient makes effect the quality of outcomes. Noise is one of the major complaints who undergo an MRI scan, he said adding the new machine can be used for liver and brain scan as well.