BLOOMINGTON - Patients with an aneurysm, stroke, or vascular condition may experience quicker diagnosis and start of treatment because of new equipment and a renovated unit at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center.

The Bloomington hospital has installed and is using a biplane radiography unit that is only the fifth of its type in operation nationwide, said Larry Wills, St. Joseph's chief operating officer for hospital operations.

BroMenn Regional Medical Center in Normal, meanwhile, has ordered a biplane radiography unit and anticipates it being operational in early summer, said BroMenn spokesman Eric Alvin.

The $2.7 million spent by St. Joseph for the equipment and to renovate the angiography suite is the most the hospital has spent on a capital project since St. Joseph's Center for Advanced Medicine opened three years ago.

The unit, manufactured by Philips, is imaging equipment with two rotating cameras that take a variety of pictures of a patient from various angles, Dr. Ajeet Gordhan explained as he demonstrated the unit.

Gordhan is a neuro-interventional radiologist with Bloomington Radiology and is among interventional radiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, and cardiologists using the equipment.

The new unit - which includes an express computed tomography (CT) scanner - takes better, crisper images than the previous equipment, said Gordhan and Lisa Zoeller, St. Joseph director of medical imaging.

"It's looking at the vessels from all side," Zoeller said.

Doctors are able to view and treat aneurysms, stroke, peripheral vascular disease and related conditions more quickly, she said.

In addition, the machine emits less radiation than its predecessor and that's better for patient and staff safety, Gordhan and Zoeller said.

Those improvements should result in quicker patient recovery after treatment, Zoeller said.

"This advances our neuro services and gives us state-of-the-art equipment for all endovascular services," Wills said.

The equipment takes up less space and is easier to move around than the previous unit, making it easier for staff and ultimately better for the patient, Gordhan said.

Naming ceremony

Construction of OSF St. Joseph Medical Center's neuro-interventional angiography suite was made possible through a charitable donation by a local donor. St. Joseph will identify the donor and the amount of the donation and will name the angiography suite during a grand opening ceremony at 1 p.m. March 1.

SOURCE: OSF St. Joseph Medical Center; Compiled by Paul Swiech