Can an MRI be a Peaceful Experience?
November 10, 2021
Weclome to Your MRI
With technology that can transport you to your idea of a peaceful environment, the new MRI experience at HRMC is what you make it.
MRI is one of the most important tools for identifying injury or disease in organs, tissues and blood vessels. Obtaining MRI images, however, typically requires patients to lie still, face up, inside a sometimes noisy, cramped tube for several minutes - a prospect that makes some people anxious. That's not the case at HRMC. Installed in October, our new Philips Ingenia Ambition X 1.5T MR puts comfort at the center of the imaging experience.
“Every step forward is an improvement,” says Robert Hohm, internal medicine physician at Tschetter & Hohm Clinic. “It’s so much more enjoyable to practice medicine nowadays because of the diagnostics we have. The imaging we can do now is phenomenal.”
The Ingenia Ambition X features a bore, which is the tunnel where scans take place, that is more spacious than our previous scanner. It also has added features to enhance the patient experience.
“The new scanner includes the Ambient Experience in-bore Connect, which allows patients to not only listen to music but also surround themselves with an audio/visual experience that they get
to customize,” says Chad Moser, RT(R)(MR), MRI lead and PACS administrator at HRMC. “That comforts and entertains patients during scans and makes the experience more enjoyable.”
Choose Your Calm
Before your scan, you can pick a color scheme and an immersive theme, such as a serene forest or a pristine tropical beach. When you enter the MRI room, you’ll hear the calming sounds of that location.
In the bore, you’ll continue to enjoy the sights and sounds of your destination with the aid of headphones and a mirror, which allows you to see the projection on the back wall outside the tube. Throughout your time in the bore, you’ll receive audio/visual notifications as to the length of each scan and cues for when and how long to hold your breath, if necessary. The Ambient Experience in-bore Connect isn’t the only patient-friendly feature of the Ingenia Ambition X. Others include:
- ability to conduct many scans with patients entering the bore feet first instead of head first
- a softer, thicker mattress than our previous MRI scanner
- free breathing imaging capability for patients who can’t hold their breath during scans
- increased table tiltability for patients who struggle to lie with their heads back
Fast and Accurate
Patient comfort is only part of what defines the Ingenia Ambition X. Other hallmarks include speed and accuracy. The new scanner features a variety of innovations that allow our technologists to perform routine and complex scans quickly and efficiently. Outstanding image quality helps physicians make accurate diagnoses and reduces the need for repeat scans. We now have the ability to do all non-contrast arterial scanning for those who are at high risk of kidney disease.
Dr. Robert Hohm
internal medicine physician
For physicians such as Dr. Hohm, MRI is an invaluable diagnostic tool – and having one of the latest versions of this technology available locally is a major benefit. “The resolution, accuracy and speed of MRI continues Robert Hohm, Internal Medicine Physician to improve,” Dr. Hohm says. “Acquiring this new scanner is a big step forward for HRMC. ”For Moser, patient comfort is still what sets the Ingenia Ambition X apart. “The most important factor in ensuring a successful MRI is making the patient comfortable,” Moser says. “This scanner helps us do that, and that’s why we chose it.”
If you need an MRI, ask your physician for a referral to HRMC. For more information about our imaging services, visit www.huronregional.org/services/radiology-imaging.
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