Bartlett Regional | House Calls | Winter 2020

Giving a tour of the inner halls and rooms of the busy Diagnostic Imaging (DI) Department, Ultrasound Coordinator Paul Hawkins can’t help remembering that this section at one time was a dressing room, or that office held x-ray films. The department made the transition from film to digital images in 2007. “This place used to have a revolving door,” Paul says, smiling at the memory. “My kids thought it was the coolest thing ever.” After more than 17 years at Bartlett, Paul has seen a radical transformation of imaging technology. It can pinpoint irregularities which might have been missed not that long ago. You can hear the excitement in his voice with but one example: “This low-dose CAT scan (CT) machine precisely maps how to get to a tumor,” he says. The technology can screen for lung cancer or liver fibrosis, eliminating the need for a biopsy. DI Director Israel Ginn oversees a staff of 30. The front office fields more phone calls than any other department at Bartlett. Radiologists may interpret as many as 140 exams a day. Bartlett’s Imaging Department is equipped to perform x-ray, CT, MRI, EEG, ultrasound, nuclear medicine and mammography while also offering various interventional procedures. Israel is especially proud that, unlike at some larger facilities, Bartlett technologists obtain more credentials and skillsets than you typically see in the field. Bartlett ultrasound techs hold the highest level of certification—“kind of a rarity and a huge benefit to this community,” he notes. If your provider orders an MRI, CT scan, bone scan, ultrasound, x-ray or mammogram, Bartlett Diagnostic Imaging likely has the service you need. On the horizon: body composition scanning and ultrasound using stress echo technology. “All of the equipment in DI is current and above the industry standard. Our equipment rivals any of the major name hospitals in the Pacific Northwest,” notes Israel. “Our ultrasound machines are capable of capturing the latest imaging technology. We offer 3-D mammography, 3-D CT and MRI, along with 3-D nuclear cardiac scans.” “All of the equipment in DI is current and above the industry standard. Our equipment rivals any of the major name hospitals in the Pacific Northwest.” — DI Director Israel Ginn EMBRACING CHANGE: Paul Hawkins has watched Digital Imaging and nuclear medicine evolve to serve patients better than ever. —continued on page 8 A full-service department Nuclear medicine Nuclear medicine is not new, but it can do some remarkable things. For example, it can curate a 3-D model of the heart—a big help to cardiac patients. Here’s how it works: attended by their doctor and a nuclear medicine technologist, the patient receives an IV. The patient then gets their heart rate up by walking or running on a treadmill. If the patient cannot physically reach the target heart rate on a treadmill, an IV medicine helps them reach it. Once the target is reached, an isotope is given through the IV. A gamma camera uses the energy from the isotope to generate an image of the heart as it works—creating 3-D reconstructed images and a short video of the heart in action. “You can see every chamber—you can see the blood flow in and out,” says Israel. How it works With nuclear medicine, a radiopharmaceutical is injected into the body to target a specific site of interest. We call nuclear medicine a functional modality because it can really hone in on the specific function of certain organs while maintaining a less-invasive approach. Many patients feel anxious when their provider orders a nuclear medicine exam— partly because it just sounds intense. At Bartlett, we pay extra attention to this detail and always ensure that we can provide some peace of mind. The bottom line Nuclear medicine is a less-invasive way to get a look at what’s going on inside you. We strive to have patients leave feeling good about their experience. We are always willing to answer questions from a provider or patient. www.bartletthospital.org 7